Epidemiology of leukaemia in Northern Ireland.

Abstract

EUKAEMIA attracts widespread publicity, although it is an uncommon disease responsible for less than one per cent of deaths from ,all causes. The interest in leukaemia stems mainly from the fact that some forms are rapidly fatal and the disease is a common type of childhood cancer. In Northern Ireland very little has been published about the ,disease or about the locaq factors which might affect its incidence. In part this ,paucity of information is attributable to the small number of cases likely to arise in a community of about 1.5 million people of all ages. In terms of mortality and on the basis of relevant death rates in England and Wales we would expect to have no more than about 75 deaths per year attributed to leukaemia. The purpose of this short report is to put on record the epidemiological characteristics of leukaemia in Northern Ireland in so far as this is possible from data collected during the last seven years.