title: Allergic conditions and brain tumor risk.
abstract: An inverse association between allergic conditions and glioma risk has been reported previously. In this large population-based case-control study, the authors identified cases diagnosed with glioma or meningioma in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and southeast England between 2000 and 2004. Detailed information on self-reported physician-diagnosed allergic conditions was collected from 1,527 glioma cases, 1,210 meningioma cases, and 3,309 randomly selected controls. Logistic regression showed an odds ratio of 0.70 (95% confidence interval: 0.61, 0.80) for glioma associated with a diagnosis of any of asthma, hay fever, eczema, or other type of allergy. The risk estimates for glioma were around 0.65 for each allergic condition (asthma, eczema, hay fever, and food allergy), and the 95% confidence intervals were equally consistent, at around 0.55, 0.80. The reduced risks of glioma related to eczema, hay fever, and allergy overall, but not asthma, were confined to current rather than past conditions. Meningioma risk was not associated with allergic conditions, except for eczema (odds ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.60, 0.91). Our results show a reduced risk for glioma associated primarily with current allergic conditions. If this is etiologic, it has implications for the understanding of how allergic conditions might reduce the tumor risk.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. annette.wigertz@ki.se
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wigertz
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lönn
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwartzbaum
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Anssi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auvinen
authors.forename: Helle Collatz
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Klaeboe
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.forename: Minouk J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schoemaker
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Swerdlow
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tynes
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feychting
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005910:Glioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology