Parents of children with autism were more likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder than parents of control subjects. Schizophrenia was more common among case mothers and fathers compared with respective control parents. Depression and personality disorders were more common among case mothers but not fathers. CONCLUSIONS; This large population study supports the potential for familial aggregation of psychiatric conditions that may provide leads for future investigations of heritable forms of autism.

Background Autism spectrum disorders are often idiopathic. Studies have suggested associations between immune response and these disorders. We explored associations between parental autoimmune disorders and children’s diagnosis of autism by linking Swedish registries. Methods Data for each participant were linked across 3 Swedish registries. The study includes 1227 cases and 25 matched controls for each case (30,693 controls with parental linkage). Parental diagnoses comprised 19 autoimmune disorders. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) using multivariable conditional logistic regression. Results Parental autoimmune disorder was weakly associated with autism spectrum disorders in offspring (maternal OR = 1.6 [95% confidence interval = 1.1–2.2]; paternal OR = 1.4 [1.0 –2.0]). Several maternal autoimmune diseases were correlated with autism. For both parents, rheumatic fever was associated with autism spectrum disorders. Conclusions These data support previously reported associations between parental autoimmune disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Parental autoimmune disorders may represent a critical pathway that warrants more detailed investigation.

BackgroundChronic hepatitis C (HCV) disease can be complicated with comorbid conditions that may impact treatment eligibility and outcomes. The aim of the study was to systematically review comorbidities and symptoms in an HCV infected population, specifically assessing comorbidities associated with HCV anti-viral treatment and disease, as well as comparing comorbidities between an HCV infected and uninfected control population.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study within a United States medical claims database among patients with chronic HCV designed to estimate the two-year period prevalence of comorbidities. Patients with two HCV diagnosis codes, 24 months of continuous health insurance coverage, and full medical and pharmacy benefits were included.ResultsAmong a chronic HCV cohort of 7411 patients, at least one comorbid condition was seen in almost all patients (> 99%) during the study period. HCV-infected patients reported almost double the number of comorbidities compared to uninfected controls. Of the 25 most common comorbidities, the majority of the comorbidities (n = 22) were known to be associated with either HCV antiviral treatment or disease. The five most frequent comorbidities were liver disease [other] (37.5%), connective tissue disease (37.5%), abdominal pain (36.1%), upper respiratory infections (35.6%), and lower respiratory disease (33.7%). Three notable comorbidities not known to be associated with antiviral treatment or disease were benign neoplasms (24.3%), genitourinary symptoms & ill-defined conditions (14.8%), and viral infections (13.8%).ConclusionsThis US medically insured HCV population is highly comorbid. Effective strategies to manage these comorbidities are necessary to allow wider access to HCV treatment and reduce the future burden of HCV disease and its manifestations.

Studies of magnetic field exposure and cancer have focused on either residential or occupational exposure. We conducted a case-control study taking into account both exposure sources. We identified leukemia and central nervous system tumor cases and controls from a population living within 300 m of transmission lines in Sweden. We have previously reported results considering residential exposure alone. Here, we evaluate the effect of occupational exposure and of the combined exposures. We estimated residential exposure through calculations of the magnetic fields generated by power lines. We obtained information about occupation from censuses and linked the occupations to a job-exposure matrix based on magnetic field measurements. For occupational exposure of > or = 0.2 microT, we estimated the relative risk for leukemia to be 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-2.7]. The increased risk was confined to acute myeloid and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. For residential exposure of > or = 0.2 microT, the relative risk for leukemia was estimated at 1.3 (95% CI = 0.8-2.2), with higher risk estimates for acute and chronic myeloid leukemia. We estimated the relative risk for leukemia among subjects highly exposed both at home and at work to be 3.7 (95% CI = 1.5-9.4). These results provide support for an association between magnetic field exposure and leukemia. Relative risks for nervous system tumors were close to unity.