Time trends and geographical distribution of childhood leukaemia in Basrah, Iraq, from 2004 to 2009

This study aimed to assess the incidence and trend of childhood leukaemia in Basrah. This was a hospital-based cancer registry study carried out at the Pediatric Oncology Ward, Maternity and Children's Hospital and other institutes in Basrah, Iraq. All children with leukaemia, aged 0 to 14 years diagnosed and registered in Basrah from January 2004 to December 2009 were included in the study. Their records were retrieved and studied. The pattern of childhood leukaemia by year of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, morphological subtypes, and geographical distribution was analysed. Rates of childhood leukaemia over time were calculated for six years using standard linear regression. The total number of cases of childhood leukaemia was 181. The number of cases ranged from 21 in year 1, to 31 in the final year reaching a peak of 39 in 2006. Leukaemia rates did not change over the study period [test fro trend was not significant, P =0.81]. The trend line shows a shift towards younger children [less than 5 years]. The commonest types of leukaemia were acute lymphoblastic leukaemia [ALL], then acute myeloid leukaemia [AML] and finally chronic myeloid leukaemia [CML]. Annual rates of childhood leukaemia in Basrah were similar to those in other countries with a trend towards younger children. This raises the question about the effect of environmental catastrophes in the alteration of some specific rates of childhood leukaemia, rather than the overall incidence rate. There is a need for further epidemiological studies to understand the aetiology of childhood leukaemia in Basrah

Blood lead level among children in Basrah

A cross sectional study to assess Blood Lead Levels [BLLs] among children in Basrah was carried out during July 2005. The study included children 1-6 years old attending three selected primary health care centres located at different socioeconomic areas in Basrah [representing both rural and urban communities]. Two of the health centres are located in the city centre, one in a relatively high socioeconomic area [Al-Razi health centre] and the second in low socioeconomic area [Al-Seef health centre]. The third health centre included in the study is located in Abul-Khasib district. The questionnaire method was used in collecting information regarding socioeconomic factors that may be related to environmental exposure to lead, and a blood sample was taken from each child to measure the blood lead level. The BLLs among children in this study ranged between 1 and 65 microg/dL [mean +/- SD, 11.59 +/- 9.1 microg/dL]. Overall, 40.4% of children had elevated blood lead levels >/= 10 mg/dL]. The mean BLL was significantly higher for children who live in rural or in urban low socioeconomic area than that for children living in urban high socioeconomic area. Age above 2 years was significantly associated with elevated BLLs