过敏症患者不易发生神经胶质瘤

Glioma Risk Decreased in Allergic Patients

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 07 - Patients with allergic conditions have a decreased risk of glioma, according to a report in the October 15th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

\"I am not sure that our findings have any clinical implications at the moment, but this should be further investigated by immunologists to explore how the immune system is involved in tumorigenesis,\" Dr. Annette Wigertz from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden told Reuters Health.

Dr. Wigertz and colleagues analyzed the association between a history of allergic conditions and the risk of glioma and meningioma using data from five European countries.

Past diagnosis of asthma, hay fever, eczema, or other allergy was associated with a 30% reduction in the risk of glioma, the authors report, and the risk did not vary with the age of onset of the allergic condition.

There was no significant association between allergic conditions and the risk of meningioma, except for a decreased risk associated with eczema.

The reduction in risk of glioma was greater in subjects with three or more conditions (a 48% reduction) than in those with only one condition (a 24% reduction).

The use of eye drops or nasal spray for hay fever, compared to non-use, was associated with a significantly reduced risk of glioma, the investigators found, but the risk was not significantly reduced by the use of oral antihistamines or desensitization.

\"A possible explanation for the finding that among those with hay fever a somewhat stronger risk reduction is found if treated can be that being treated is an indicator of being truly allergic,\" Dr. Wigertz said.

\"If this (association) is etiologic, it has implications for the understanding of how allergic conditions might reduce the tumor risk,\" the researchers conclude, \"but the influences of reverse causation, bias, and confounding need to be taken under consideration also as potential alternative explanations.\"

\"I think what is needed to decide whether the inverse association between glioma risk and allergic conditions is etiologic must be sought in immunology,\" Dr. Wigertz added. Epidemiologically what is needed \"is an opportunity to follow a large cohort for a long time with repeated registrations on allergy.\"

Am J Epidemiol 2007;166:941-950.