A cohort study was conducted in the USA to investigate the association between electric blanket use and thyroid cancer incidence in women.
The definition of electric blanket was inclusive of electric heating pad, electric mattress pad, and heated water bed in addition to blankets.
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | ever electric blanket use: no |
| Group 2 | ever electric blanket use: yes |
| Reference group 3 | former/current use: never |
| Group 4 | former/current use: former |
| Group 5 | former/current use: current |
| Reference group 6 | type of use: never |
| Group 7 | type of use: warming up only |
| Group 8 | type of use: most of the time |
| Reference group 9 | years of use: never/warming up only |
| Group 10 | years of use: < 1 |
| Group 11 | years of use: 1 - 4 |
| Group 12 | years of use: 5 - 9 |
| Group 13 | years of use: 10 - 19 |
| Group 14 | years of use: ≥ 20 |
| Reference group 15 | total months of use: never/warming up only |
| Group 16 | total use: 0 - 12.5 months (1st quartile) |
| Group 17 | total use: 12,5 - 35 months (2nd quartile) |
| Group 18 | total use: 35 - 100 months (3rd quartile) |
| Group 19 | total use: 100 - 200 months (4th quartile) |
| Reference group 20 | total use: never/warming up only |
| Group 21 | total use: 0 - 2520 hours (1st quartile) |
| Group 22 | total use: 2520 - 7350 hours (2nd quartile) |
| Group 23 | total use: 7350 - 18000 hours (3rd quartile) |
| Group 24 | total use: 18000 - 66000 hours (4th quartile) |
| Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Total | 89,527 |
1,092,578 person-years of follow-up
During a mean follow-up of 12.2 years, 190 incident cases of thyroid cancer were identified. Overall, 57% of the participants reported the use of electric blankets while sleeping and/or for warming the bed before sleep.
No association was found between use of electric blankets and subsequent risk of thyroid cancer (HR 0.98, CI 0.72-1.32). Duration of electric blanket use measured in years, months, or hours was not associated with the risk of thyroid cancer. These results did not change when the cases were limited to the most frequently occurring histologic type, namely papillary thyroid cancer.
The authors conclude that results of this study do not support possible health hazards of electric blankets in regards to thyroid cancer risk.
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