Korean J Med.
2010 May;78(5):557-563.
Recently increasing hematologic diseases in Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
Abstract
- Under the influence of an aging society, westernized diets, and environmental factors, the incidence of hematologic diseases in Korea has changed over the past decades. Another reason for the increase is that the growth of molecular biology has contributed to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic disease. Although the incidence of aplastic anemia has recently declined, that of other hematologic diseases, such as multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Hodgkin lymphoma, is rising. The incidence of thalassemia, a rare hereditary disorder of hemoglobin synthesis, is increasing because Korean society is changing to a multi-ethnic society through international marriage. In this article, we describe the recently increasing hematologic diseases in Korea.
