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Updated: Apr 11, 2026
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Published on: December 9, 2015
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Birth month affects lifetime disease risk: a phenome-wide method.
Mary Regina Boland1, Zachary Shahn2, David Madigan3
1Department of Biomedical Informatics Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI).
Summary
Birth month impacts lifetime disease risk. This study found 55 diseases linked to birth month, including 16 new conditions, suggesting seasonal developmental factors influence health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Medical Statistics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Birth month has been linked to specific diseases like asthma and ADHD.
- Most diseases remain unexplored regarding birth month associations.
- Seasonal influences on early development may affect long-term health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the relationship between birth month and lifetime disease risk.
- To explore associations for 1688 distinct medical conditions.
- To identify novel disease-birth month links beyond previously reported conditions.
Main Methods:
- A hypothesis-free approach was used to minimize bias.
- Data from 1,749,400 individuals born between 1900-2000 were analyzed.
- Logistic regression and chi-squared tests modeled disease-birth month associations.
Main Results:
- 55 diseases showed a significant dependence on birth month.
- 16 of these disease associations were previously unreported.
- Distinct incidence patterns were observed across different disease categories.
Conclusions:
- Birth month is a significant factor influencing lifetime disease risk.
- Seasonally dependent developmental mechanisms may contribute to disease susceptibility.
- Further research into early-life environmental factors is warranted.
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