1. ¹Unit of Esophageal and Gastric Research (ESOGAR), Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
2. ²Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: HE Löfdahl, Unit of Esophageal and Gastric Research (ESOGAR), P9:03, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm SE-171 76, Sweden. E-mail: hedvig-elisabet.lofdahl.348@student.ki.se

Received 21 July 2008; Revised 5 September 2008; Accepted 10 September 2008; Published online 7 October 2008.

Abstract

A nationwide Swedish case–control study of 388 men and 63 women with adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus and gastro-oesophageal function and 676 men controls and 140 women investigated whether sex differences in aetiology contribute to male predominance. Compared with men, women seemed more vulnerable to reflux (odds ratio (OR)=4.6, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.0–10.5 vs OR=3.4, 95% CI=2.5–4.6), obesity (OR=10.3, 95% CI=2.6–42.3 vs OR=5.4, 95% CI=2.6–10.8) and smoking (OR=5.3, 95% CI=2.0–14.1 vs OR=2.8, 95% CI=1.9–4.2), less harmed by low intake of fruit and vegetables (OR=0.9, 95% CI 0.3–2.4 vs OR=1.6, 95% CI=1.1–2.2) and less protected by Helicobacter pylori infection (OR=0.5, 95% CI=0.3–0.8 vs OR=1.6, 95% CI=0.5–5.4).