Sudden unexpected death caused by infantile acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Kei Morota; Mariko Shimizu; Ryo Sugitate; Munenori Ide; Genki Yamato; Daisuke Tomizawa; Kazuhiro Muramatsu; Atsushi Matsui

doi:10.1093/omcr/omab073

Sudden unexpected death caused by infantile acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Oxf Med Case Reports. 2021 Aug 13;2021(8):omab073. doi: 10.1093/omcr/omab073. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Authors

Kei Morota¹, Mariko Shimizu¹, Ryo Sugitate¹, Munenori Ide², Genki Yamato³, Daisuke Tomizawa⁴, Kazuhiro Muramatsu⁵, Atsushi Matsui¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, Japanese Red Cross Maebashi Hospital, Gunma 371-0811, Japan.
² Department of Pathology, Japanese Red Cross Maebashi Hospital, Gunma 371-0811, Japan.
³ Department of Paediatrics, Gunma University, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
⁴ Division of Leukaemia and Lymphoma, Children's Cancer Centre, National Centre for Child Health and Development, Tokyo 157-0074, Japan.
⁵ Department of Paediatrics, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.

Abstract

A 7-week-old girl with a normal birth history suddenly developed respiratory distress while feeding. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated at home after she had a cardiac arrest and was continued in the emergency room but all efforts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful and she died 2 h after presentation. Investigations performed in the emergency room revealed that she had a significantly high white blood cell count and severe anaemia. The cause of death was identified as KMT2A-rearranged infantile acute lymphoblastic leukaemia based on cytogenetic tests. She had no abnormalities at the 4-week check-up; however, she developed a skin nodule on her abdomen thereafter, and the family did not consult a doctor for fear of contracting COVID-19. Early detection and diagnosis could have changed the prognosis of the patient. The present case highlights the negative impact of the reduction of outpatient consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Publication types

Case Reports