Pet ownership and childhood acute leukemia (USA and Canada).
OBJECTIVE
For more than three decades there has been speculation regarding a possible role of zoonotic diseases in the development of human leukemia. This study investigated the potential relationship between exposure to pets and the development of childhood leukemia.


METHODS
Data from 2359 cases of acute leukemia from two large case-control studies were analyzed. Cases were individually matched to population controls on telephone exchange, age, and race. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) associated with pet ownership.


RESULTS
Overall, there was no association between pet ownership (either "any pet", dog, or cat) and childhood acute leukemia (OR(any pet:) = 1.01, 95% CI 0.89-1.2). Additionally, no relationship was found between exposure to an ill pet and childhood leukemia.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this analysis suggest that pet ownership (healthy or sick) is unrelated to an increased risk of childhood leukemia.
Swensen
A R
AR
Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Ross
J A
JA
Shu
X O
XO
Reaman
G H
GH
Steinbuch
M
M
Robison
L L
LL
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004283:Dog Diseases; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016582:Leukemia, Feline; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology