A Note on the Increased Risk of Polycythemia Vera in Jews

A whole community study of polycythemia vera in Israel revealed a mean annual incidence of 6.7 per million. Ratio of age adjusted rates between European and non-European-born foreign residents was 2.2 among males and 3.1 among females. A comparison with the only other community study of polycythemia shows higher incidence in Israel as compared with the city of Baltimore, but similar rates among European-born Jews in Israel and Jewish residents in Baltimore. The data indicate that the risk of developing polycythemia vera is higher among Jews of European extraction, independent of residence.