Table 1 Characteristics of neutropenia associated with levamisole tainted cocaine (NATC) cases in Alberta and British Columbia, January 2008 -- March 2009
From: Levamisole tainted cocaine causing severe neutropenia in Alberta and British Columbia
Characteristic: | Alberta | British Columbia | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. of NATC cases | 23 | Â | 19 | Â | 42 | Â |
Confirmed (%) | 10 | (43) | 6 | (32) | 16 | (38) |
Probable (%) | 13 | (57) | 13 | (68) | 26 | (62) |
No. of NATC episodes | 43 | Â | 45 | Â | 88 | Â |
Mean age, years (range, years) | 39 | (18-52) | 36 | (22-63) | 37 | (18-63) |
Gender | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Males (%) | 9 | (39) | 6 | (32) | 15 | (36) |
Females (%) | 14 | (61) | 13 | (68) | 27 | (64) |
Type of cocaine exposure | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Crack (%) | 13 | (57) | 11 | (58) | 24 | (57) |
Powder (%) | 0 | (0) | 2 | (11) | 2 | (5) |
Both (%) | 0 | (0) | 1 | (5) | 1 | (2) |
Unknown | 10 | (43) | 5 | (26) | 15 | (36) |
Route of cocaine exposure** | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Smoke (%) | 8 | (35) | 10 | (53) | 18 | (43) |
Snort (%) | 0 | (0) | 7 | (37) | 7 | (17) |
Inject (%) | 0 | (0) | 1 | (5) | 1 | (2) |
UNKNOWN (%) | 15 | (65) | 2 | (11) | 17 | (40) |
No. of NATC cases with repeated neutropenia episodes (range, No. of episodes) | 8 | (2-7) | 10 | (2-8) | 18 | (2-8) |
No. of NATC cases that had bone marrow biopsies (%) | 8 | (35) | 7 | (37) | 15 | (36) |