Incidence of Aplastic Anemia and Agranulocytosis in Brazil and Argentina - The LATIN Study.

CONTEXT: Aplastic anemia and agranulocytosis are rare but life-threatening disorders, often caused by drugs and other environmental exposures. Reported incidences of these diseases seem to vary between different geographic regions, and few data on the incidence are available for Latin American countries.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of agranulocytosis and aplastic anemia in Brazil and Argentina.

TYPE OF STUDY: Incidence study.

SETTING: Seven centers in Brazil and one in Argentina took part in the study.

METHODS: Each center conducted active search for new cases in a defined region by means of regular contacts with all hematologists, main clinical laboratories and clinicians in hospitals of the region.

RESULTS: 191 patients with aplastic anemia and 63 with agranulocytosis were identified from 2002 to 2005. The incidence of agranulocytosis was estimated to be 0.6 cases per million people per year. The incidence of aplastic anemia was 1.5 cases per million people per year.

DISCUSSION: Aplastic anemia and agranulocytosis are rare diseases in Brazil and Argentina. The overall incidence of agranulocytosis was lower than generally reported for other countries, while the incidence of aplastic anemia was similar to previous studies. However, there was considerable incidence variability among the regions involved in the study, more markedly for agranulocytosis.