By Gabriel Olawale

Scientists have linked university degree to heightened risk of developing brain tumour. The researchers in a large observational study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health noted that Gliomas, a type of cancerous tumour arising in glial cells that surround and support neurons in the brain were more common among people who had studied at university for at least three years than they were among those who didn’t go on to higher education.

Brain tumour

They based their findings on more than 4.3 million Swedes, all of whom were born between 1911 and 1961 and living in Sweden in 1991. In the study released, the researchers monitored between 1993 and 2010 to see if they developed a primary brain tumour. During the monitoring period, 1.1 million people died and more than 48,000 emigrated, but 5735 of the men and 7101 of the women developed a brain tumour.

Men with university level education, lasting at least three years, were 19 percent more likely to develop a glioma than men whose educational attainment didn’t extend beyond the period of compulsory schooling of 9 years.

Among women, the magnitude of risk was 23 percent higher for glioma, and 16 percent higher for meningioma–a type of mostly non-cancerous brain tumour arising in the layers of tissue (meninges) that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord–than it was for women who didn’t go on to higher education.

The noted that occupation also seemed to influence risk for men and women. Compared with men in manual roles, professional and managerial roles were associated with a 20 percent heightened risk of glioma and a 50 percent heightened risk of acoustic neuroma.

The risk of glioma was also 26 percent higher among women in professional and managerial roles than it was for women in manual roles.