title: Aplastic anemia in Taiwan and its etiological factors.
abstract: Ninety patients with a strict diagnosis of aplastic anemia were observed during a 4-year period. The incidence of aplastic anemia is estimated to be much higher here than in western countries. A disproportionately large number of young males were noted among our patients. Two cases were congenital. One case presented a past history of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. The etiology of 8 cases (8.9%) could be attributed to drugs and/or chemicals. In the remaining 79 cases (87.8%), the causes of the disease were unknown. The carrier rate of the hepatitis B surface antigen in the patients with aplastic anemia was similar to that of the general population, and chronic hepatitis B infection was not considered a major etiological factor. Coexistence of abnormal liver functions at the initial presentation was noted in 21.9% of the patients. Exposure to unknown drugs by self-medication was possibly one of the major causes of the high incidence of aplastic anemia and the associated abnormal liver functions in our patients.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gau
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013624:Taiwan