Retrospective case-series analysis of haematological malignancies in goldmining areas of South Africa.

CONCLUSIONS: Caution is required when interpreting spatial distributions of patients, given inaccuracies in residential addresses and referral patterns to the hospital, and with HIV and other infections probable important confounders. Our study therefore shows that active case recruitment is required for accurate assessment of residential information. However, some findings on spatial distributions in the study warrant the continuation of efforts to develop a study protocol to investigate the possible link between uranium exposure in mining areas and haematological malignancies in residents. Disproportionately high incidence rates of haematological malignancies observed in specific districts would be relevant for further investigation. PMID: 30421715 [PubMed - in process]
Source: South African Medical Journal - Category: African Health Tags: S Afr Med J Source Type: research