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Biomedical subjects

D J Pollock

Publications and source records attributed to D J Pollock.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Crohn's disease in Bangladeshis and Europeans in Britain: an epidemiological comparison in Tower Hamlets.

The incidence of Crohn's disease in a defined Bangladeshi community was assessed in a retrospective, epidemiological study in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets from 1972 to 1989. The borough population of 164,000 includes over 28,000 Bangladeshis. Potential cases were identified from hospital pathology and medical records. There were 99 cases of Crohn's disease during the study period, of which five were Bangladeshi. The mean standardized incidence in Bangladeshis was 1.2/10(5)/year in the 1970s and 2.3/10(5)/year in the 1980s compared with 3.8/10(5)/year and 4.1/10(5)/year in Europeans, and 4.6/10(5)/year and 5.4/10(5)/year in West Indians, respectively. None of the changes with time was statistically significant. There were no cases amongst Hindus. The relative risk to Europeans, compared to Bangladeshis, was 2.5 during the 1970s and 2.0 in the 1980s. The difference between European incidence and that of other ethnic groups was not statistically significant; however, the number of Bangladeshi cases was small (five), and diminishes the power of the study. The apparent similarity of the incidences of Crohn's disease in Bangladeshis and Europeans contrasts with findings in other South Asians. Further investigations of the differences in incidence of Crohn's disease in South Asians is needed.

Adolescent

Low incidence of ulcerative colitis and proctitis in Bangladeshi migrants in Britain.

To assess the incidence of ulcerative colitis and proctitis in a defined migrant population, a retrospective, epidemiological community study was performed in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets from 1972 to 1989. The population of 164,000 includes 28,000 Bangladeshis. Potential cases were identified from hospital departments of pathology and medical records. There were 107 cases of ulcerative colitis in Europeans and 5 in Bangladeshis. There were 74 and 2 cases of proctitis in these communities, respectively. The mean standardised incidence of ulcerative colitis in Bangladeshis (1.8 cases/10(5)/year) was marginally lower than in Europeans (6.2 cases/10(5)/year, Z = 0.7, n.s.). The mean standardised incidence of proctitis in Bangladeshis was 0.6 cases/10(5)/year and in Europeans 3.2 cases/10(5)/year (Z = 0.6 n.s.). Anatomical extent of colitis was similar in all ethnic communities, although complications were less likely in minority groups. These findings suggest that the incidence of ulcerative colitis and proctitis in Bangladeshis, in Britain, is amongst the lowest in the world.

Age Factors

Iron overload despite partial gastrectomy.

Iron overload was found in 3 patients who had undergone partial gastrectomy: a 61-year-old woman developed iron overload because she may have had idiopathic haemochromatosis and had also been given parenteral iron; in a 62-year-old man with thalassaemia minor, iron overload may have developed because of increased oral iron ingestion, low serum folate, increased, albeit ineffective, erythropoiesis and sideroblastic anaemia; a 74-year-old man with thalassaemia minor developed iron overload without exogenous therapy and died from a hepatoma. These cases illustrate that partial gastrectomy fails to protect patients from developing iron overload, particularly if given uncontrolled iron therapy.

Aged

The liver in coeliac disease.

The pathology of the liver in 19 cases of malabsorption is reported. Five of these were proven to have adult coeliac disease, in the others that diagnosis was presumed by exclusion of other causes of malabsorption and by the coincidence of other conditions known to be associated with coeliac disease. Of these cases, three had liver changes of chronic hepatitis and two of these were in the proven coeliac group, including a case with cirrhosis and a hepatoma. In addition, less severe liver changes such as portal tract fibrosis and portal tract infiltration by inflammatory cells were present greatly in excess to that of the controls. The reasons for the occurrence of liver damage in coeliac disease are outlined and discussed in relation to the liver disorders associated with jejunoileal bypass used in the treatment of obesity. Possible mechanisms of liver injury in coeliac disease are described.

Adult

Myopathy in Whipple's disease.

We report a patient with Whipple's disease who developed a myopathy that improved during antibiotic therapy. The muscle biopsy showed mild type 2 fibre atrophy, type 1 fibre preponderance, variability in fibre size, and changes in the myofibrillar pattern of affected fibres. Interfascicular macrophages contained PAS-positive material. With the electron microscope these macrophages contained membranous inclusions and bacillary bodies, similar to those seen in the jejunal biopsy.

Biopsy