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2007-9-4 12:19:58 |
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infections may increase the risk of childhood leukemia, a new epidemiologic study suggests. The study found higher risk of leukemia among the children born to mothers who had infections such as influenza, pneumonia and sexually transmitted disease(s). The study, published in the January 1, 2007 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology, involved 365 children under age 15 years diagnosed with childhood leukemia. All children were enrolled in the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study between 1995 and 2002. Around 460 children without cancer were used as control. Dr. Marilyn L. Kwan from the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California and colleagues analyzed data on the childhood leukemia and the maternal history of diseases collected from the mothers through an interview. The maternal history covered the period of three months prior to conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Children born to those who had influenza or pneumonia during the period considered in the study were 89 percent more likely to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) than those who did not have any infection. Those children were also 41 percent more likely to have common ALL. The elevated risk of leukemia was also observed among the children born to mothers who had a history of sexually transmitted disease such as herpes or chlamydia. According to Reuters, the risk for those children was six fold higher than that for those children born to mothers who did not have any STD. However, children born to the mothers who took prenatal iron supplements during the study period were 33 percent less likely to have ALL, researchers found. The researchers do not say if there is any association between the infection treatments and the risk of childhood leukemia in the abstract of their report, which is available to the public. But they say "Maternal illness and drug/medication use (prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit) during pregnancy might be related to childhood leukemia risk." "Observing an increased risk of leukemia in children of mothers reporting a history of influenza/pneumonia and sexually transmitted disease around the time of pregnancy suggests that maternal infection might contribute to the etiology of leukemia. Furthermore, maternal iron supplement use may be protective against childhood leukemia," the researchers write in their report. Higher risk of leukemia has been found in children who have been exposed to medical ionizing radiation (x-ray), benzene and other solvents, pesticides, and treatment with certain classes of chemotherapy drugs, contaminants in community drinking water, and electromagnetic fields. Maternal exposure to these risk factors can also increase chances of childhood leukemia. |
