Prevalence of acute myeloid leukemia and its associated risk factors at a tertiary care center: a retrospective cross-sectional study

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common malignant disorder of the bone marrow, accounting for 23.1% of total leukemia cases globally in 2017. This study aimed to know the prevalence of AML in a tertiary hospital center in Nepal and assess the associated etiological factors in the causation of AML.

Materials and methods: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with acute leukemia admitted to a tertiary care center in Kathmandu from 1 April 2021 to 30 April 2022. Three hundred and ten participants with acute leukemia were selected via a convenience sampling technique. The data were entered into Microsoft Excel 365 and then analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences version 22.0.

Results: One hundred and forty five (46.7%) out of 310 acute leukemia patients had AML. Most of the cases were male (104, 71.7%) and aged 40-49 years (36, 24.8%). The most common signs and symptoms were pallor (115, 79.3%), fever (n=92, 63.4%), and lethargy/weakness (78, 53.8%). Ninety one (62.8%) patients underwent multiple cycles of chemotherapy while 51 (35.2%) had supportive care only, and 3 (2.1%) went bone marrow transplants.

Conclusion: The prevalence of AML was higher as compared to AML in other studies done in a similar setting. Early diagnosis and treatment are key to a good prognosis and cure in most cases.