title: Autoimmune disease in individuals and close family members and susceptibility to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Sjögren's syndrome have been consistently associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). This study was initiated to evaluate the risks of NHL associated with a personal or family history of a wide range of autoimmune diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based case-control study was conducted that included 24,728 NHL patients in Denmark (years 1977-1997) and Sweden (years 1964-1998) and 55,632 controls. Using univariate logistic and hierarchical regression models, we determined odds ratios (ORs) of NHL associated with a personal history of hospital-diagnosed autoimmune conditions. Risks of NHL associated with a family history of the same autoimmune conditions were assessed by similar regression analyses that included 25,941 NHL patients and 58,551 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A personal history of systemic autoimmune diseases (RA, SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic sclerosis) was clearly linked with NHL risk, both for individual conditions (hierarchical odds ratios [OR(h)] ranged from 1.6 to 5.4) and as a group (OR(h) 2.64 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.72-4.07]). In contrast, a family history of systemic autoimmune diseases was modestly and nonsignificantly associated with NHL (OR(h) 1.31 [95% CI 0.85-2.03]). An increased risk of NHL was found for a personal history of 5 nonsystemic autoimmune conditions (autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Hashimoto thyroiditis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and sarcoidosis) (OR(h) ranged from 1.5 to 2.6) of 27 conditions examined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, our results demonstrate a strong relationship of personal history of systemic autoimmune diseases with NHL risk and suggest that shared susceptibility may explain a very small fraction of this increase, at best. Positive associations were found for a personal history of some, though far from all, nonsystemic autoimmune conditions.
authors.affiliation: Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. lene@cancer.dk
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mellemkjaer
authors.forename: Ruth M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Engels
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gridley
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hemminki
authors.forename: Jørgen H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dreyer
authors.forename: Martha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Linet
authors.forename: Lynn R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Goldin
authors.forename: Ola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Landgren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000235:genetics; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000235:genetics; D013548:Sweden; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics