Leukemia Epidemiology in Karbala province of Iraq

Abstract

Objective: Investigate epidemiology of leukemia in Karbala province of Iraq, compare and identify possible changes with other populations. Methods: This was retrospective descriptive study for more than 400 leukemia patients in Karbala province from November 2011 to May 2018 with evaluation of age, gender distribution, types distribution and frequency distribution types of leukemia according to age and gender. Result: About 402 patients with leukemia were retrospectively enrolled in this study at median age of 30 years. Males accounted for a higher proportion of leukemia patients, 58.2 % compared to 41.8% females, with a male to female ratio of nearly 1.4:1. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was the most prevalent in the study group, contributing 41% (median age 10 years), followed by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) 24.1% (median age 42 years), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 19.2% (median age 36 years) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) of less frequent type which contributed only 15.7% (median age 60 years). Conclusion: This is the first statistical study of leukemia in Karbala. It can be used as basic information to investigate epidemiological characteristics, to evaluate progress in recent years and to develop future leukemia strategies. More statistical leukemia analyses in Iraq are needed.

Keywords

• leukemia- epidemiology- karbala- iraq