Premature death of adult adoptees: Analyses of a case‐cohort sample

Petersen, Liselotte; Andersen, Per Kragh; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A.

doi:10.1002/gepi.20071

Cited by 21 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The only large adoption study that has been published shows a correlation between Danish adoptees and their biological parents, especially for death that is due to vascular causes 30 . However, a later extension of this study found smaller effects 31 , and twin data 29 indicate that the overall genetic effect on premature death is minimal.…”

Section: Genetic Epidemiology Of Human Lifespanmentioning

confidence: 49%

The quest for genetic determinants of human longevity: challenges and insights

2006

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Twin studies show that genetic differences account for about a quarter of the variance in adult human lifespan. Common polymorphisms that have a modest effect on lifespan have been identified in one gene, APOE, providing hope that other genetic determinants can be uncovered. However, although variants with substantial beneficial effects have been proposed to exist and several candidates have been put forward, their effects have yet to be confirmed. Human studies of longevity face numerous theoretical and logistical challenges, as the determinants of lifespan are extraordinarily complex. However, large-scale linkage studies of long-lived families, longitudinal candidate-gene association studies and the development of analytical methods provide the potential for future progress.

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Section: Genetic Epidemiology Of Human Lifespanmentioning

confidence: 49%

The quest for genetic determinants of human longevity: challenges and insights

2006

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“…In the studies of parent-offspring pairs, genetic effects on mortality with infections were found in the earliest birth cohorts of adoptees [20]–[22]. In a study of adoptees and their siblings, belonging to a sample that is part of this study, evidence for a genetic effect on mortality from infection was seen in all birth cohorts [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Genetic Influences on Incidence and Case-Fatality of Infectious Disease

2010

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BackgroundFamily, twin and adoption studies suggest that genetic susceptibility contributes to familial aggregation of infectious diseases or to death from infections. We estimated genetic and shared environmental influences separately on the risk of acquiring an infection (incidence) and on dying from it (case fatality).MethodsGenetic influences were estimated by the association between rates of hospitalization for infections and between case-fatality rates of adoptees and their biological full- and half- siblings. Familial environmental influences were investigated in adoptees and their adoptive siblings. Among 14,425 non-familial adoptions, granted in Denmark during the period 1924–47, we selected 1,603 adoptees, who had been hospitalized for infections and/or died with infection between 1977 and 1993. Their siblings were considered predisposed to infection, and compared with non-predisposed siblings of randomly selected 1,348 adoptees alive in 1993 and not hospitalized for infections in the observation period. The risk ratios presented were based on a Cox regression model.ResultsAmong 9971 identified siblings, 2829 had been hospitalised for infections. The risk of infectious disease was increased among predisposed compared with non-predisposed in both biological (1.18; 95% confidence limits 1.03–1.36) and adoptive siblings (1.23; 0.98–1.53). The risk of a fatal outcome of the infections was strongly increased (9.36; 2.94–29.8) in biological full siblings, but such associations were not observed for the biological half siblings or for the adoptive siblings.ConclusionRisk of getting infections appears to be weakly influenced by both genetically determined susceptibility to infection and by family environment, whereas there appears to be a strong non-additive genetic influence on risk of fatal outcome.

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“…From the Adoption Register, we also selected a sub-cohort consisting of a random sample of 1,933 adoptees, originally designed as an equally sized control sample in a study of the general mortality in this cohort [16]. We excluded the 30 suicides and used the others to represent adoptees who had not died by suicide.…”

Section: Study Population and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic and Familial Environmental Effects on Suicide – An Adoption Study of Siblings

et al. 2013

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BackgroundWhile there is clear evidence of familial influences on suicide, the origin of these is less certain. We have investigated genetic and familial environmental factors by studying the occurrence of suicide in biological and adoptive siblings of adoptees who died by suicide compared to siblings of surviving adoptees.MethodWe used the Danish Adoption Register and Danish population registers to compare 221 siblings of adoptees who died by suicide with the siblings of 1,903 adoptees who did not die by suicide. All adoptions in the Danish Adoption Register are non-familial, i.e. the adoptive parents are biologically unrelated to the adoptee. Analyses were conducted on incidence rates of suicide in biological and adoptive siblings given occurrence of suicide in the adoptees while also taking into account psychiatric disorders.ResultsThe risk of suicide in full siblings of adoptees who died by suicide before age 60 years was significantly higher than in full siblings of adoptees who had not died by suicide (incidence rate ratios (IRR) = 5.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28 - 19.6). This increase persisted after adjustment for history of psychiatric admission of siblings (IRR = 4.19; 95% CI = 1.00 - 17.5).ConclusionsGenetic factors influence risk of suicide, probably independently of psychiatric disorder. This is relevant in provision of advice to families, including possible prevention of suicide.

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Premature death of adult adoptees: Analyses of a case‐cohort sample

Cited by 21 publications

References 28 publications

The quest for genetic determinants of human longevity: challenges and insights

The quest for genetic determinants of human longevity: challenges and insights

Genetic Influences on Incidence and Case-Fatality of Infectious Disease

Genetic and Familial Environmental Effects on Suicide – An Adoption Study of Siblings

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