Serum cholesterol and primary brain tumours: a case-control study.

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a positive relationship exists between high levels of serum cholesterol and primary brain tumours. A record-based case-control study was performed on male Jewish residents of Israel who were hospitalized at the Hadassah Ein Karem hospital in the years 1978-1982. A record check identified 37 cases of brain tumour who fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the study and whose hospital files included the necessary data. For each case two controls were chosen randomly from all patients with inguinal hernia who met the respective matching criteria of age and year of hospitalization. The mean cholesterol value of the cases with brain tumours was 22 mg dl-1 higher than that of the controls. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.007). Controlling for weight, region of birth, season of year, social class, medications and length of hospitalization before the measurement of cholesterol did not reduce the cholesterol difference, and in some instances increased it.