Suicide, accidents linked to bone marrow transplant

[dixiegrrrrl]

People who have had a bone marrow transplant may be at increased risk for suicides and accidental deaths, according to a new study suggesting these patients may need extra attention to the mental and physical after-effects of their battles with disease.

In a group of almost 300,000 European bone marrow transplant recipients, researchers found that patients killed themselves at twice the rates seen in the general European population, and slightly more died in accidents.

Dr. David Porter, a marrow transplantation expert who was not involved in the research, told Reuters Health the findings are "eye opening," because suicides and accidental deaths aren't often talked about in the transplant community.

The researchers found there were about 21 suicides per 100,000 people who had a marrow transplant. That compared to about 9 per 100,000 people in the general population of Europe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/12/us-suicide-accidents-linked-to-bone-marr-idUSBRE93B14F20130412

[rexcat]

1. Considering that some people..

who survive the bone marrow transplant have less than optimal outcome and can be quite debilitated this should be of no surprise to anyone.

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the bone marrow transplant patients by outcome in this study to see if there is a correlation or causation on outcome of transplant.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Good point.

Outcome studies would certainly add to the premise.

[rexcat]

3. I work in...

Pharma, mostly in oncology, for the past 23 years. If the chemotherapy doesn't kill them the bone marrow transplant might!