Summary Acute lymphatic leucemia, although rare, is a disease that occurs not infrequently in childhood, especially in the first four years of life. The condition predominates among males in all age groups, especially affecting those in the youngest age group. In approximately a third of the cases, the leucocyte count is less than 10,000 per cubic millimeter of blood. A high leucocyte count is not necessary to make the diagnosis. Marked secondary anemia usually is present. The most reliable diagnostic finding is the repeated observation of immaturity in the lymphocytes back to the stem cell. Morphologic findings of frequent occurrence in the blood smears in cases of acute lymphatic leucemia are stem cells, of unusually small diameter, Rieder forms, plasma cells and toxic neutrophiles. The effects of transfusion, radiotherapy, and intercurrent infection on the blood are noted. The terminal leucocyte counts tend to be low. It would be possible to make the diagnosis earlier in more cases if routine morphologic examinations of the blood were made.
Read full abstract