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Autoimmune Disease Is a Risk Factor for the Development of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
JANET CUTTNER, HARRY SPIERA, KEVIN TROY, and SYLVAN WALLENSTEIN
ABSTRACT. Methods. Patients with NHL (n = 278) seen from 1993 to 2002 were compared with a group of patients with other hematological disorders (controls, n = 317) seen at the same time. All patients were questioned about prior autoimmune disease. Comparisons between NHL patients and controls were based on analysis of a 2 ´ 2 table of counts using Fisher's exact test. Analysis of the effect of autoimmune disease on NHL status, controlling for other risk factors, was performed using logistic regression. Results. Thirty-six (13%) NHL patients had a prior autoimmune disease compared to 5% of controls (p = 0.001). Sixty-nine percent of NHL patients with a prior autoimmune disease were female compared to 43% without a prior autoimmune disease, and this was similar in control patients, 69% and 48%, respectively. Twenty percent of all women with NHL had a history of autoimmune disease compared to 7% of women in the control group (p = 0.001). Nineteen of the NHL patients with autoimmune disease (56%) received immunosuppressive treatment compared to 5 (38%) in the controls. Conclusion. Autoimmune disease may account in part for the increase in NHL, especially in women. (J Rheumatol 2005;32:1884-7) Key Indexing Terms:
AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE From the Department of Medicine and Department of Biostatistics, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. Supported in part by The New York Community Trust. J. Cuttner, MD, Attending Physician, Department of Medicine, Clinical Professor of Medicine; H. Spiera, MD, Attending Physician, Department of Medicine, Clinical Professor of Medicine; K. Troy, MD, Associate Attending Physician, Department of Medicine, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Associate Dean, Graduate Medical Education; S. Wallenstein, MD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics. Address reprint requests to Dr. J. Cuttner, 1735 York Avenue, Suite P2, New York, NY 10128. E-mail: janet.cuttner@mssm.edu Accepted for publication May 15, 2005. |