MARIANA TILINCĂ*, M. MĂRUŞTERI**, JULIÁNNA SZAKÁCS***, I. NICOLAESCU***
*Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Târgu Mureş, Romania
**Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Târgu Mureş, Romania
***Department of Biophysics, Biotechnology, Medical and Pharmaceutical Physics, University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Târgu Mureş, Romania
Abstract. A study of the influence of accidental ionizing radiation due to the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl in 1986 on Mureş County population was performed. We studied the annual incidence of acute leukemia in Mureş County between 1983–2002, according to gender, origin, and type of disease. This study is a cohort type, based on ecological preponderance. Due to the existence of incomplete records in some clinics, we could not study the incidence of disease for more than 3 years in pre-Chernobyl period (1983–1985). Thus, we have grouped the post-Chernobyl interval in 5 periods of 3 years, to calculate and compare the cumulative incidence values. Regarding the total incidence of acute leukemia, there is a statistically significant positive association between the exposure to the risk factor (ionizing radiation) and the disease throughout all the studied periods during 1986–2000. Previous conclusions are also supported by the results of data analysis in case of grouping data according to criteria regarding the type of the disease, as well as demographic criteria. The results appear to contest the existence of a dose-response type relationship in case of our study.
Key words: ionizing radiation, acute leukemia, statistical analysis.