A case-control study was conducted in the USA to investigate the relation between the use of electric blankets or heated water beds and the risk of prostate cancer.
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Reference group 1 | ever use of electric blanket or heated water bed: no |
| Group 2 | ever use of electric blanket or heated water bed: yes |
| Reference group 3 | mode of use: not used |
| Group 4 | mode of use: warm only |
| Group 5 | mode of use: on most of time |
| Reference group 6 | years used: none |
| Group 7 | years used: 1 - 5 |
| Group 8 | years used: 6 - 10 |
| Group 9 | years used: 11 - 15 |
| Group 10 | years used: 16 - 20 |
| Group 11 | years used: ≥ 21 |
| Reference group 12 | months used per year: none |
| Group 13 | months used per year: 1 - 3 |
| Group 14 | months used per year: 4 - 6 |
| Group 15 | months used per year: 7 - 9 |
| Group 16 | months used per year: 10 - 12 |
| Reference group 17 | total months of use: none |
| Group 18 | total months of use: 1 - 50 |
| Group 19 | total months of use: 51 - 100 |
| Group 20 | total months of use: 101 - 150 |
| Group 21 | total months of use: ≥ 151 |
| Cases | Controls | |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible | 255 | 456 |
| Participants | 186 | 322 |
| Participation rate | 73 % | 71 % |
| Evaluable | 175 | 258 |
A statistically non-significant increased risk for prostate cancer was observed for men who have used an electric blanket or heated water bed compared to men who had not used an electric bed heating device (OR 1.4, CI 0.9-2.2). However, the risk did not tend to be higher with increasing number of months per year or years of use.
The authors concluded that the study did not provide clear evidence for an association between the use of electric blankets or heated water beds and the risk of prostate cancer.
Exposure to an electric blanket or a heated water bed was evaluated in only one question thus the different habits of use (electric blanket more seasonally and for only a few hours daily versus heated water bed permanently all year round and throughout the night) and the different magnetic field strengths of the souces were not fully included.
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