Losing a Sibling During Childhood Linked to Increased Mortality

Increased risk for mortality has been found in adults who experience the death of a family member, but whether losing a sibling while in childhood is associated with mortality is unknown.

Researchers retrospectively analyzed national health data for over 5 million children from Denmark and Sweden born between 1973 and 2006, comparing all-cause, cause-specific, and type-specific (due to diseases vs. external causes) mortality between approximately 56,000 children who lost a sibling (of any age) between ages 6 months and 18 years and nearly 5 million who did not. Adjusted models estimating the mortality rate ratios (MRRs) included covariates such as maternal age, social status, parity, and smoking, as well as prematurity, birth weight, and age…