Aplastic anemia in Isreal: evaluation of the etiological role of chloramphenicol on a community-wide basis.

A nationwide study of aplastic anemia in Israel revealed a mean yearly incidence of 7.1/1,000,000 in males and 8.7/1,000,000 in females. Twenty-five per cent of the cases reported had an apparent chloramphenicol etiology. Ten patients, five treated with chloramphenicol and five without it, developed acute leukemia. The median survival was 11 months in males and 28 in females. Survival was particularly inferior in chloramphenicol-related cases, suggesting that this group constitutes a specific entity.