Lead author Christel Nielsen, a researcher at Lund University, notes that little is known about the long-term health effects of tattoos.
A 21% increased risk of lymphoma in people with tattoos
The study is conducted among 11,905 participants, of whom 2,938 people were diagnosed with lymphoma between the ages of 20 and 60 years. Among them, 1,398 people provided information on their lifestyle by questionnaire; these participants were matched to 4,193 controls free of lymphoma. The analysis reveals that:
- among participants with lymphoma, 21% were tattooed (i.e. 289 people), while 18% of participants were tattooed in the control group without a diagnosis of lymphoma (i.e. 735 people);
- After accounting for other relevant factors, such as smoking and age, the risk of developing lymphoma is estimated to be 21% higher in people with tattoos.
What explanation? One hypothesis of researchers, before this research, was that the size of the tattoo could affect the risk of lymphoma. Thus, a tattoo present on all or a large part of the body could be associated with a higher risk of this cancer. However, unexpectedly, the study shows that the extent of the tattooed area does not impact the level of risk. The researchers suggest: “One can only assume that a tattoo, regardless of its size, triggers inflammation slight in the body, which in turn can trigger cancer.”
“We know that when tattoo ink is injected into the skin, the body interprets it as something foreign that should not be there and the immune system is activated. Much of the ink is evacuated from the skin, towards the lymph nodes where it is deposited »confirm the authors.
