Article

Genetic and environmental effects on mortality before age 70 years.

Institute of Preventive Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Centre for Health and Society, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Epidemiology (impact factor: 5.57). 06/2008; 19(3):472-6. DOI:10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181692769 pp.472-6
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT There is a familial influence on risk of many diseases and on mortality in general, which, according to studies of twins, is due to a combination of genetic and environmental effects. Adoption studies, which rest on different assumptions, may also be used to estimate separately the genetic and environmental effects on rate of dying.
The genetic influence on the rate of dying before age 70 years was investigated by estimation of the associations in total and cause-specific mortality of Danish adoptees and their biologic full and half siblings. Familial environmental influences shared at the same time in life were investigated in adoptees and their adoptive siblings. The study basis is the 14,425 nonfamilial adoptions formally granted in Denmark during the period 1924 through 1947, recorded in the Danish Adoption Register. From this register we selected the 1552 "case" adoptees (who died before 01 April 1993) and 1710 "noncase" adoptees alive at that date. The siblings of the case and noncase adoptees were traced in the archives and followed forward, and the rates of dying before age 70 years were compared.
Compared with mortality of the biologic siblings of noncase adoptees, the mortality of biologic siblings of dead adoptees was approximately 2-fold higher for death with infections and vascular causes, and around 45% increased for natural causes and for all causes.
The results suggest that there is a genetic effect on the rate of death with infections, vascular causes, natural causes and all causes, whereas there is no indication of an influence of shared sibling environment.

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    Article: Excess mortality rate during adulthood among Danish adoptees.
    Liselotte Petersen, Thorkild I A Sørensen, Erik Lykke Mortensen, Per Kragh Andersen
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    ABSTRACT: Adoption studies have been used to disentangle the influence of genes from shared familial environment on various traits and disease risks. However, both the factors leading to adoption and living as an adoptee may bias the studies with regard to the relative influence of genes and environment compared to the general population. The aim was to investigate whether the cohort of domestic adoptees used for these studies in Denmark is similar to the general population with respect to all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality rates. 13,111 adoptees born in Denmark in 1917, or later, and adopted in 1924 to 1947 were compared to all Danes from the same birth cohorts using standardized mortality ratios (SMR). The 12,729 adoptees alive in 1970 were similarly compared to all Danes using SMR as well as cause-specific SMR. The excess in all-cause mortality before age 65 years in adoptees was estimated to be 1.30 (95% CI 1.26-1.35). Significant excess mortality before age 65 years was also observed for infections, vascular deaths, cancer, alcohol-related deaths and suicide. Analyses including deaths after age 65 generally showed slightly less excess in mortality, but the excess was significant for all-cause mortality, cancer, alcohol-related deaths and suicides. Adoptees have an increased all-cause mortality compared to the general population. All major specific causes of death contributed, and the highest excess is seen for alcohol-related deaths.
    PLoS ONE 01/2010; 5(12):e14365. · 4.09 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

14,425 nonfamilial adoptions
 
adoptees alive
 
Adoption studies
 
adoptive siblings
 
age 70 years
 
biologic full
 
biologic siblings
 
cause-specific mortality
 
Danish adoptees
 
Danish Adoption Register
 
dead adoptees
 
different assumptions
 
environmental effects
 
Familial environmental influences
 
familial influence
 
genetic effect
 
genetic influence
 
noncase adoptees
 
study basis
 
vascular causes
 

Liselotte Petersen