Autoimmunity and the risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms

• Published in: Haematologica (Roma) Vol. 95; no. 7; pp. 1216 - 1220
• Main Authors: KRISTINSSON, Sigurdur Y, LANDGREN, Ola, SAMUELSSON, Jan, BJÖRKHOLM, Magnus, GOLDIN, Lynn R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pavia Ferrata Storti Foundation 01.07.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autoimmune Diseases - complications; Autoimmune Diseases - epidemiology; Autoimmunity; Biological and medical sciences; Brief Reports; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child, Preschool; Diseases of red blood cells; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Infant; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Myeloproliferative Disorders - epidemiology; Myeloproliferative Disorders - etiology; Myeloproliferative Disorders - immunology; Other diseases. Semiology; Platelet diseases and coagulopathies; Polycythemias; Registries; Risk; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Sweden - epidemiology; Young Adult; Sweden; Autoimmunity; primary myelofibrosis; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Cardiovascular disease; Autoimmune disease; Polycythemia vera; Hemopathy; Inflammatory joint disease; Inflammatory disease; Vascular disease; Myeloproliferative syndrome; Vasculitis; Bone marrow failure; Systemic disease; Intestinal disease; autoimmune diseases; myeloproliferative neoplasms; Immunopathology; Myelofibrosis; Hematology; Aplastic anemia; Crohn's disease; Crohn disease; essential thrombocythema; Chronic; Platelet; Polymyalgia rheumatica; Risk factor; Digestive diseases; Giant cell arteritis; Immune thrombocytopenic purpura
• ISSN: 0390-6078; 1592-8721; 1592-8721
• DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2009.020412

The causes of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) are unknown. We conducted a large population-based study including 11,039 myeloproliferative neoplasm patients and 43,550 matched controls with the aim of assessing the associations between a personal history of a broad span of autoimmune diseases and subsequent risk of myeloproliferative neoplasm. We found a prior history of any autoimmune disease to be associated with a significantly increased risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms (odds ratio (OR)=1.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-1.3; P=0.021). Specifically, we found an increased risk of MPNs associated with a prior immune thrombocytopenic purpura (2.9; 1.7-7.2), Crohn's disease (1.8; 1.1-3.0), polymyalgia rheumatica (1.7; 1.2-2.5), giant cell arteritis (5.9; 2.4-14.4), Reiter's syndrome (15.9; 1.8-142) and aplastic anemia (7.8; 3.7-16.7). The risk of myeloproliferative neoplasms associated with prior autoimmune diseases is modest but statistically significant. Future studies are needed to unravel the effects of these autoimmune diseases themselves, their treatment, or common genetic susceptibility.