Comparison of the clinical characteristics of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) children with and without joint involvement
| Joint involvement | No joint involvement | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| n=53, % (median diagnostic delay) | n=233, % (median diagnostic delay) | p Value | |
| Age, median | 4.4 years | 4.4 years | |
| Boys | 49% | 50% | 1 |
| T-ALL | 2% | 18% | <0.01 |
| Non-articular pain | 73% (4 weeks) | 28% (4 weeks) | 0.01 |
| Leg pain | 45% | 18% | <0.01 |
| Back pain | 28% | 8% | <0.01 |
| Limp | 22% | 18% | 0.44 |
| Constitutional symptoms, total | 55% (4 weeks) | 81% (3 weeks) | <0.01 |
| Fatigue | 45% | 64% | 0.02 |
| Anorexia | 26% | 31% | 0.62 |
| Abdominal pain | 29% | 22% | 0.37 |
| Headache | 10% | 13% | 1 |
| Anorexia | 26% | 31% | 0.62 |
| Signs of cytopenia, total | 61% (1 week) | 72% (1 week) | 0.10 |
| Pallor | 28% | 46% | 0.02 |
| Fever | 57% | 49% | 0.36 |
| Bleeding | 10% | 43% | <0.01 |
| No signs | 24% | 8% | <0.01 |
| Organomegaly | 56% | 71% | <0.01 |
| Hepatomegaly | 29% | 47% | 0.01 |
| Splenomegaly | 12% | 39% | <0.01 |
| No organomegaly | 44% | 29% | 0.05 |
| Lymphadenopathy | 33% | 38% | 0.64 |
| Abnormal blood count | 76% | 92% | <0.01 |
| Hb <10 g/dL | 59% | 80% | <0.01 |
| Platelet count <100×109/L | 44% | 75% | <0.01 |
| WBC >20×109/L | 17% | 36% | <0.01 |
| WBC <4×109/L | 27% | 28% | 0.99 |
| ANC <1.0×109/L | 67% | 72% | 0.40 |
| Lymphoblasts in blood | 70% | 75% | 0.74 |
| LDH >500 IU/L | 63% | 70% | 0.33 |
| Uric acid >0.5 IU/L | 17% | 30% | 0.06 |
Bold type face is partly to highlight and partly to mark where there is value.
ANC, absolute neutrophil count; Hb, haemoglobin; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; WBC, white blood cell count.