Prevalence and structure of morbidity with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in children of the Gomel region (Republic of Belarus)

An epidemiological study of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) morbidity in children of Gomel region for the last 15-year period (1986-2000) has established that mean annual ITP morbidity makes up 5.33 +/- 0.32 per 100000 children (per hundred thousand). Within the morbidity structure, urban children and children aged 0-4 prevailed. The trend to a 0.23 per hundred thousand annual rise is revealed. A comparative analysis of morbidity for three periods (1986-1990, 1991-2000) has revealed that a rise in ITP morbidity is due primarily to increased morbidity for 5 years after the Chernobyl accident. There is no correlation between ITP morbidity in children and Cs-137 soil contamination from 37 kBq/m(2) and above 555 kBq/m(2).