Risks for central nervous system diseases among mobile phone subscribers: a Danish retrospective cohort study.
Schüz J, Waldemar G, Olsen JH, Johansen C. · 2009
View Original AbstractMobile phone users showed 10-20% higher rates of migraine and vertigo in this major Danish study tracking 420,000 subscribers.
Plain English Summary
Danish researchers tracked over 420,000 mobile phone subscribers from 1982-1995 through 2003 to see if phone use was linked to brain and nervous system diseases. They found mobile phone users had 10-20% higher rates of migraine and vertigo, but surprisingly lower rates of dementia, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy in men. The increased migraine and vertigo rates persisted even among long-term users of 10+ years.
Why This Matters
This massive Danish study represents one of the first comprehensive looks at mobile phone use and central nervous system diseases, tracking nearly half a million subscribers over decades. The 10-20% increase in migraine and vertigo among mobile phone users is particularly noteworthy because these effects persisted even in long-term users, suggesting a genuine association rather than statistical noise. While the study found decreased rates of some neurological diseases in men, the researchers themselves acknowledge this likely reflects a 'healthy cohort effect' - early mobile phone adopters were generally healthier and wealthier than the general population. What matters most is that this large-scale epidemiological evidence shows measurable neurological impacts from mobile phone use, adding weight to growing concerns about EMF exposure and brain health.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Study Details
The aim of this study was to investigate a possible link between cellular telephone use and risks for various diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).
We conducted a large nationwide cohort study of 420 095 persons whose first cellular telephone subsc...
The SHRs were increased by 10-20% for migraine and vertigo. No associations were seen for amyotrophi...
In conclusion, the excesses of migraine and vertigo observed in this first study on cellular telephones and CNS disease deserve further attention. An interplay of a healthy cohort effect and reversed causation bias due to prodromal symptoms impedes detection of a possible association with dementia and Parkinson disease. Identification of the factors that result in a healthy cohort might be of interest for elucidation of the etiology of these diseases.
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2009_risks_for_central_nervous_2574,
author = {Schüz J and Waldemar G and Olsen JH and Johansen C.},
title = {Risks for central nervous system diseases among mobile phone subscribers: a Danish retrospective cohort study.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19194493/},
}