Researchers have found a possible link between allergies and blood cancer in women.
According to a new report, women who suffer from pollen allergies may be at an increased risk for blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Researchers were not able to find the same link between the diseases in men, which suggests that there is something unique about women that causes allergy related stimulation of their immune systems that leads to a vulnerability to the development of blood cancers.
The study, which was published in the December issue of the American Journal of Hematology, was conducted by a group of scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The study included 66,000 people – aged 50 to 76 – who were kept track of for eight years. During the follow-up period, almost 700 of the subjects developed blood cancer. Those who developed the cancers were more likely to be male, to have a family history of lymphoma or leukemia and have less access to quality health care.
Among women with a history of allergies to plants, grass and trees, there was a significantly higher risk of developing a blood cancer. The scientists still do not have a concrete reason for this occurrence, but believe it has something to do with the effects of hormones on a woman’s body and immune system.
“To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first study to suggest important gender differences in the association between allergies and [blood cancers],” study author Dr. Mazyar Shadman, a senior fellow in the clinical research division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, wrote in the report. Dr. Shadman went on to write that more extensive research would need to be done in order to find the root of the association.
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