Height inversely linked to bladder cancer, while excess BMI gain in childhood linked to increased risk
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Childhood body mass index (BMI) is positively associated, while childhood height is inversely associated, with the risk for bladder cancer (BC) in adulthood, according to a study published online May 19 in the Annals of Human Biology.
Kathrine K. Sørensen, from Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues examined whether birth weight, childhood BMI, height, and growth are associated with BC in adulthood. Anthropometric information for birth and ages 7 to 13 years from 315,763 individuals born during 1930 to 1989 was linked to national registers.
The researchers found that 1,145 individuals (839 men) were diagnosed with BC. There were no sex differences noted. Childhood BMI was positively associated with BC (at age 13 years: hazard ratio, 1.10 [95 percent confidence interval (CI), 1.02 to 1.18] per BMI z-score), while an inverse association was seen for height (hazard ratio, 0.94 [95 percent CI, 0.89 to 1.00] per height z-score). Higher hazards of BC were seen for a pattern of above-average increases in BMI from 7 to 13 years compared with average increases. There was no significant association for above-average growth in height with BC. Increased hazards of BC were seen for low (2.5 kg) and high (4.5 kg) birth weights compared with birth weights of 3.5 kg (hazard ratios, 1.26 [95 percent CI, 1.01 to 1.58] and 1.36 [95 percent CI, 1.09 to 1.70], respectively).
“Although the absolute risk of bladder cancer is low, our results contribute to the understanding of how body size early in life may indicate a risk for this disease,” the authors write.
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