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Do left-handers have increased mortality?

P G Persson1, P Allebeck

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)
|May 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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This study found no increased overall mortality for left-handers compared to right-handers. However, left-handed individuals showed a slightly higher risk of death from motor vehicle accidents.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Human Biology

Background:

  • Previous research suggested a link between left-handedness and increased mortality.
  • The association between handedness and mortality requires further investigation in large cohorts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between handedness and overall mortality.
  • To examine the relationship between left-handedness and cause-specific mortality, particularly from motor vehicle accidents.

Main Methods:

  • A Swedish population-based cohort of 48,964 conscripts (aged 18-21 years in 1969-1970) was established.
  • Hand preference was assessed via self-report and a practical test involving shooting a dummy rifle.
  • Cohort data were linked to the national Cause-of-Death Register through 1989, with 954 deaths recorded.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant difference in overall mortality was observed between left-handers and right-handers (relative risk = 1.0, 95% CI = 0.8-1.3).
  • A slightly increased relative risk of death due to motor vehicle accidents was noted for left-handers (relative risk = 1.3, 95% CI = 0.8-2.0).
  • The findings contradict earlier reports suggesting higher overall mortality for left-handed individuals.

Conclusions:

  • Left-handedness is not associated with increased overall mortality in the studied Swedish cohort.
  • A potential increased risk of motor vehicle accident fatalities among left-handers warrants further research.
  • This study provides robust evidence refuting previous claims of elevated mortality rates for left-handedness.