Ocular findings in children with acute leukemia at a tertiary care center in South America

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate ophthalmological findings in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in a Latin American population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective study. The observational analysis was conducted in AML and ALL patients seen as a routine examination at the department of ophthalmology of tertiary care center in Argentina between March 1, 2017, and February 28, 2018. RESULTS: Overall, 137 patients with acute leukemia were included. The mean age was 7.9 ± 5.2 years (0–18), and 55% were male (n = 75) and 45% female (n = 45). At least one-fifth (n = 31) of the patients presented some type of ocular manifestation (23%). The most frequently observed manifestation was retinal hemorrhages (n = 14), followed by papilledema (n = 9) and ocular surface involvement (n = 5). The eye involvement was more frequently identified in the AML group (24%), compared to the ALL group (22%), especially papilledema with central nervous system compromise ALL (5%) and AML (11%), P < 0.01. The presence of hemorrhages was similar in both groups. In patients with retinal hemorrhage (n = 14), the mean hematological findings were hemoglobin 7.4 ± 0.4 g/dL (6.5–8.0), erythrocytes 2.5M ± 0.3/mm(3) (confidence interval [CI], 2.0–3.1), and platelets 76,000 ± 32,000/mm(3) (CI, 8000–384,000). Patients without retinal findings (n = 123), the mean hematological findings were hemoglobin 9.1 ± 0.6 g/dL (8.0–10.2), erythrocytes 3.2M ± 0.6/mm(3) (CI, 2.5–3.5), and platelets 92,000 ± 44,000/mm(3) (CI, 42.000–390.000). Multivariable analysis found that hemoglobin levels were the most reliable predictive factor for retinal findings. It was observed that the risk diminishes in patients with levels higher than 8.5 g/dL, and that it increased in patients with levels ranging between 6.5 and 7.5 g/dL at least twice (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that ocular involvement occurs in a high percentage of patients with leukemia with a clear clinical, humoral, and sometimes prognostic correlation, suggesting routine ophthalmologic evaluation in these patients.