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Mortality study of British pathologists
A Hall1, J M Harrington, T C Aw
1Institute of Occupational Health, University of Brimingham, United Kingdom.
Insights
Pathologists had lower overall mortality but significantly higher suicide rates. A marginal increase in brain cancer deaths was observed, particularly among hematologists.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
- Medical Science
Background:
- The Royal College of Pathologists membership list (1974-1987) identified 4,512 potential study participants.
- Understanding the mortality patterns and specific causes of death among pathologists is crucial for occupational health assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mortality rates and causes of death in a cohort of UK pathologists.
- To compare the observed mortality with expected rates in the general population of England and Wales.
Main Methods:
- Cohort study design utilizing membership data from the Royal College of Pathologists.
- Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) calculation to compare observed versus expected deaths.
Main Results:
- Overall mortality was lower in pathologists compared to the general population.
- A significant excess of deaths due to suicide was observed (SMR 265).
- A marginally significant excess of brain cancer deaths was noted in male pathologists (SMR 240), with a disproportionate number occurring in hematologists.
Conclusions:
- While pathologists exhibit lower overall mortality, heightened risks for suicide and potentially brain cancer warrant further investigation.
- The findings highlight specific occupational health concerns for pathologists, particularly within hematology.
- Further research into the etiological factors behind these observed excesses is recommended.
Abstract:
Pathologists eligible for inclusion in the study were identified from the membership lists of the Royal College of Pathologists from 1974 to 1987, establishing a population of 4,512 members. Overall mortality was lower among the study group compared with the general population of England and Wales, although there were significantly more deaths due to suicide (observed 13, expected 4.9, SMR 265, 95% CI 141-454). Excess deaths due to cancer of the lymphatic and hemopoietic system were noted but they were not significantly increased. An excess of brain cancer death was marginally significant for male pathologists (observed 6, expected 2.5, SMR 240, 95% CI 88-522). Six of the 9 (66.7%) cases of all types of brain tumors reported in total were among hematologists, although this sub-specialty comprises approximately 16% of all pathologists.