Birth Characteristics and Leukemia in Childhood

Summary

The objective of this study, which used data derived from birth and death certificates, was to determine the independent effect of high birth weight on the risk of death from childhood leukemia. The effects of maternal age, birth order, and social class also were investigated. The population consisted of 802 non-mongoloid, single-born children who died in California at ages 1–9 years between 1959 and 1965 and of a matched control group known to have survived the first year of life. High birth weight was found significantly associated with an increased risk of leukemia mortality for children of both sexes combined. Analysis b.y sex showed the significance was confined to females. The estimated excess risks were 2.1-fold for females and 1.2-fold for males. Social class was the only other factor showing a significant association with leukemia mortality. The risk was greater for children of higher social class. Again, the association was significant only for females. The relative risks were 1.7 for females and 1.1 for males.