Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wzw2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-15T13:57:45.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Familial Factors in Mortality with Control of Epidemiological Covariables. Swedish Twins Born 1886-1925

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Z. Hrubec ,
B. Floderus-Myrhed ,
U. de Faire  and
S. Sarna
Z. Hrubec*
Affiliation:
National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Stockholm
B. Floderus-Myrhed
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institute, Department of Environmental Hygiene, Stockholm
U. de Faire
Affiliation:
Karolinska Institute, Department of Internal Medicine, Danderyds Hospital, Danderyd, Sweden
S. Sarna
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Science, University of Helsinki
*
Radiation Epidemiology, National Cancer Institute, Landow Bldg, Rm 3A22, Bethesda, MD 20205, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was carried out that evaluated age-specific death risk among 21,890 twins born in Sweden during 1886 through 1925 and followed during 1962 through 1980. Cotwin's survival was used as the primary covariable, and auxiliary covariables were smoking, marital status and, among men, police registration for alcohol abuse. In each age, sex and zygosity group, except the oldest DZ males, cotwin's mortality had a significant, independent, positive relationship to the mortality risk of the individual. The auxiliary covariables, except marital status among females, had significant, independent, positive relationships to mortality among the youngest twins of both zygosity groups and in the middle age group of MZ twins. In the oldest age group, the death of MZ cot wins was the only variable significantly related to the individual's mortality. Heritability estimates for the age-specific probability or death risk, developed by different methods for different analysis groups, range between 0.4 and 0.6. They have reasonable internal consistency, are not much affected by the covariates, and are in agreement with other studies that did not control covariates.

Keywords

MortalityTwinsRisk factorsFamilial factorsSmokingAlcohol abuseMarital status
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , July 1984 , pp. 403 - 412
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1984

References

REFERENCES

1.Cederlöf, R, Friberg, L, Jonsson, E, Kaij, L (1961): Studies on similarity diagnosis in twins with the aid of mailed questionnaires: Acta Genet 11:338.Google Scholar
2.Cederlöf, R (1966): The twin method in epidemiologic studies on chronic disease. Academic Dissertation, University of Stockholm.Google Scholar
3.Cox, DR (1972): Regression models and life-tables. J R Statist Soc B34: 187–220.Google Scholar
4.Edwards, JH (1969): Familial predisposition in man. Br Med Bull 25:58.Google Scholar
5.Falconer, DS (1965): The inheritance of liability to certain diseases estimated from the incidence among relatives. Ann Hum Genet 29:51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Helander, E (1972): Om frekvensen fylleristraff, sarskilt hos tvillingar. Socialmed Tidskrift (Stockholm) 49:555.Google Scholar
7.Hrubec, Z, Allen, G (1975): Methods and interpretation of twin concordance data. Letter to Editor. Am J Hum Genet 27:808.Google Scholar
8.Hrubec, Z, Neel, JV (1981): Familial factors in early deaths: Twins followed 30 years to ages 5161 in 1978. Hum Genet 59: 39–46.Google Scholar
9.Jarvik, LF, Falek, A, Kallman, FJ, Lorge, I (1960): Survival trends in a senescent twin population. Am J Hum Genet 12:170.Google Scholar
10.Dixon, WJ, ed. (1981): BMDP Statistical Software. Betkely: Univ of California Press.Google Scholar
11.Wyshak, G (1978): Fertility and longevity in twins, sibs, and parents of twins. Soc Biol 25: 315–330.Google Scholar