Allergic Conditions and Brain Tumor Risk

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology Vol. 166; no. 8; pp. 941 - 950
• Main Authors: Wigertz, Annette, Lönn, Stefan, Schwartzbaum, Judith, Hall, Per, Auvinen, Anssi, Christensen, Helle Collatz, Johansen, Christoffer, Klæboe, Lars, Salminen, Tiina, Schoemaker, Minouk J., Swerdlow, Anthony J., Tynes, Tore, Feychting, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cary, NC Oxford University Press 15.10.2007; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age of Onset; Aged; allergic; Allergies; Analysis. Health state; asthma; Biological and medical sciences; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - epidemiology; Case-Control Studies; Child; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Denmark - epidemiology; eczema; Epidemiology; Female; Finland - epidemiology; General aspects; glioma; Glioma - epidemiology; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; meningioma; Meningioma - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Neurology; Norway - epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Pneumology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Retrospective Studies; rhinitis; Risk Assessment; Risk Factors; seasonal; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden - epidemiology; Tumors of the nervous system. Phacomatoses; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Europe; Denmark; Sweden; British Isles, England; Norway; Finland; meningioma; hypersensitivity; rhinitis, allergic, seasonal; eczema; glioma; asthma; case-control studies; Allergy; Skin disease; Nose disease; Rhinitis; seasonal; Risk; Case control study; Epidemiology; Seasonal variation; Eczema; ENT disease; Bronchus disease; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Benign neoplasm; asthma; case-control studies; eczema; glioma; hypersensitivity; meningioma; rhinitis; Public health; Human; Immunopathology; Lung disease; Nervous system diseases; Respiratory disease; Hypersensitivity; Intracranial tumor; Cerebral disorder; Asthma; allergic; Glioma; Central nervous system disease; Risk factor; Meningioma
• ISSN: 0002-9262; 1476-6256
• DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwm203

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.