An Epidemiological Study of Polycythemia Vera

An epidemiologic study based on all patients with polycythemia vera residing at the Baltimore Metropolitan Area is reported. A minimum annual incidence rate of 4 new cases per million was observed for the Metropolitan Area and 5 per million per year for Baltimore City. The incidence rate was lower in negroes than in whites, but if age adjustment was applied the ratio was more than 2:1. A marked increased frequency was noted among patients of Jewish origin. There was only a slight excess of males with a sex ratio 1.2:1. The age distribution confirmed the previous observations of only rare instances of the disease below the age of 30; the mean and median ages were about 60 years.