RESUMO
A total of 293 cases of various types of leukaemia admitted in Central Hospital (Riyadh) were studied from January 1981 to December 1988. The incidence of leukaemia was worked out to be 0.13% of the total hospital population during this period. Acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL) or acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) group was the most frequent (37.54%), followed by acute lymphocytic leukaemia (24.23%) followed by chronic myeloid leukaemia [corrected] (19.11%), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) group (18.77%) and lymphosarcoma cell leukaemia (LSCL) (0.35%). Acute leukaemias were further classified into subtypes on the basis of FAB (French-American-British) classification. In ANLL or AML group, the pattern was M2 greater than M4 greater than M3 greater than M6 greater than M1 greater than M5. In ALL group, the pattern was L2 greater than L1 greater than L3. Among FAB subtypes of acute leukaemias, the pattern was L2 greater than M2 greater than M4 greater than M3 greater than M6 greater than M1 and L1 greater than L3 greater than M5. The age range of these patients was 5 years to 80 years; only 9 cases were less than 11 years of age. In childhood and young adults, acute leukaemias (ALL and AML) were the commonest types (particularly ALL was common in childhood), whereas CML was common in adults and CLL in old age. Males dominated the females in all the types of leukaemia (male to female ratio was 2.4:1). Out of 293 leukaemia cases, 149 (51.0%) were Saudi Arabs, the rest were expatriates. AML was found to be the most common type in central, western and southern Saudi Arabia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)