INCIDENCE RATE OF ACUTE LEUKEMIA IN WEST AZARBAIJAN DURING 2003-2008

One of the major causes of mortality among children in developed and developing countries and the leukemia in children is the most common one. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence rate of acute leukemia in West Azarbaijan. A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted on acute leukemia patients diagnosed during 2003-2008. The data were analyzed by SPSS software and t-test, Chi Square test, and Fisher test. During six years of study, 138 children with acute leukemia were diagnosed in West Azarbaijan province. 56.5% were male and 43.5% were female (sex proportion was 1.3). Six-year incidence of acute leukemia is 17.43 in a hundred thousand people that have changed from 1.93 in 2004 to 3.51 in 2007 and the maximum incidence rate (25.03) was in 0-4 age group. According to the finding of this study the incidence of increase or decrease of acute leukemia in West Azarbaijan was not regular and the incidence of lymphoblast was more than Myeloblastic (i ncidence proportion equals 4.48) and the disease was more common in males than females.