Details
Category: Volume 08 Issue 01 January 2020
Hits: 1120

Title: Distribution of anaemia and leukemia in an urban cohort

Authors: Bimla Banjare, Aditi Das, Amit Kumar Bhardwaj, Jalaj Gautam, Piyush Bhargava

 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i1.27

Abstract

Background: It is important to screen the population for early detection of haematological diseases, so as to avoid grievous consequences. This study was undertaken in a tertiary care centre to determine the impact of such diseases, especially leukemias and anaemias in general population. 

Subjects and Methods: This was a 6 months prospective study which was undertaken on 1764 patients who on complete blood count (CBC) analysis presented with low haemoglobin or abnormal leukocyte and platelet counts. The CBC, peripheral smear (PS) and bone marrow evaluation were done subsequently.

Results: In our study, 54 patients were diagnosed with leukemia, among them 9/54 had normal total leukocyte count at presentation while 6/54 patients had pancytopenia. Bone marrow aspiration was done in 23 patients. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was found to be the most common leukemia in 0-10 years age group; chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was common in 31-40 years age group while chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was common in >50 years age group. Overall, unclassified leukemias (n=28) were the most commonly reported leukemia. The most common anemia was microcytic hypochromic anaemia. Male: female ratio in leukemia was found to be 1.84:1. Thrombocytopenia was present in 37% of all leukemic patients.

Conclusion: The proper and thorough investigational approach is needed for early diagnosis of anaemias and leukemias which in a true sense are potentially curable and often preventable entities. The value of basic investigations such as CBC and PS evaluation cannot be underestimated and at times becomes the most crucial to screen the population for the presence or absence of such deadly haematological disorders.

References

  1. McLean E, Cogswell M, Egli I, Wojdyla D, De Benoist B. Worldwide prevalence of anaemia, WHO Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information System, 1993–2005. PublicHealth Nutrition. 2008; vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 444–454.
  2. Gore FM, Bloem PJ, Patton GC, Ferguson J, Joseph V, Coffey C, Sawyer SM, Mathers CD 2011. Global burden of disease in young people aged 10–24 years: A systematic analysis. Lancet 377: 2093–2102
  3. Assessing the iron status of populations: report of a joint World Health Organization/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention technical consultation on the assessment of iron status at the population level, 2nd ed., Geneva, World Health Organization, 2007.
  4. Nutritional anaemias. Report of a WHO scientific group. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1968. (WHO Technical Report Series, No. 405).
  5. Arthur DC, Bloomfield CD, Lindquist LL et al. Translocation 4;11 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: clinical characteristics and prognostic significance. Blood1982;59:96-99.
  6. Barnard DR, Kalousek DK, Wiersma SR et al. Morphologic, immunologic, and cytogenetic classification of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome in childhood: a report from the Children's Cancer Group. Leukemia 1996;10:5-12.
  7. Melo JV, Barnes DJ. Chronic myeloid leukaemia as a model of disease evolution in human cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2007;7(6):441–453
  8. Preventing and controlling anaemia through primary health care: a guide for health administrators and programme managers. Geneva, World Health Organization, 1989
  9. The management of nutrition in major emergencies. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2000. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2000/9241545208.pdf 5. FAO, WHO. World Declaration and Plan of Action for Nutrition. International Conference on Nutrition. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, December 1992.
  10. Miller JL. Iron deficiency anemia: a common and curable disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2013;3(7):a011866. Published 2013 Jul 1. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a011866
  11. WHO, UNICEF, UNU. Iron deficiency anaemia: assessment, prevention and control, a guide for programme managers. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2001.
  12. Cook JD 2005. Diagnosis and management of iron-deficiency anaemia. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 18: 319–332 
  13. Buckley JD. The aetiology of cancer in the very young. Br J Cancer Suppl1992; XVIII:S8-S12

Corresponding Author

Dr Aditi Das

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Raipur (C.G), India