title: Antihistamine use and immunoglobulin E levels in glioma risk and prognosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An inverse association between personal history of allergies/asthma and glioma risk has been fairly consistently reported in the epidemiologic literature. However, the role of regular antihistamine use remains controversial due to a small number of studies reporting contradictory findings. We evaluated the association between regular use of oral antihistamines and glioma risk, adjusting for a number of relevant factors (e.g., immunoglobulin E levels and history of chickenpox).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a subset of the Harris County Case-Control Study, which included 362 pathologically confirmed glioma cases and 462 cancer-free controls, to evaluate this association using unconditional multivariable logistic regression. These models were run among the overall study population and stratified by allergy status. Cox regression was utilized to examine whether antihistamine use was associated with mortality among all cases and separately among high-grade cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antihistamine use was strongly associated with glioma risk among those with a positive allergy/asthma history (OR: 4.19, 95% CI: 2.06-8.51), but not among those with a negative history (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 0.95-2.67). There were no significant associations between antihistamine use and survival among cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study implies that regular antihistamine use may increase glioma risk. However, several larger studies are necessary before definitive conclusions can be drawn.
authors.affiliation: Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza MS:BCM305, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza MS:BCM305, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Electronic address: amirian@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: E Susan
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Amirian
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marquez-Do
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bondy
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Scheurer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005910:Glioma / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006633:Histamine Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006633:Histamine Antagonists; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Brain neoplasms; Case-control studies; Epidemiology; Hypersensitivity; Immunoglobulin E; Risk factors; Survival