Avaliando o intervalo pré-diagnóstico de leucemia linfóide aguda em pacientes pediátricos do estado do Pará

Abstract

Introduction: acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of cancer in the child population. Nowadays, about 75% of children and adolescents reach a cure when diagnosed early. However, nonspecific signs and symptoms found in ALL are a confounding factor with other common diseases, delaying diagnosis. Objectives: the present study pursue to recognize the ALL pre-diagnosis time, looking for variables that may have caused a delay in the diagnosis of patients treated at the Hospital Oncológico Infantil Octávio Lobo (HOIOL). Methods: the research took place through an interview, with those responsible for the children being followed up on an outpatient basis and undergoing treatment, guided by a questionnaire previously prepared by the researchers. Results: 86 answerable were interviewed, 46 of whom (53%) were diagnosed with the disease within one month. Most patients were male (59%), predominantly aged between zero and four years old (51.2%), brown (70%), coming from the metropolitan region of Belém (35%) or from the northeast of Pará (31 %), with family income of up to 1 minimum salary (55%), and with legal responsible having completed or incomplete high school (53.5%). Conclusion: There was a statistically association between family income of three minimum salaries or more and delay in diagnosis, with an odds ratio of 8.33. In addition, the use of previous antibiotics and corticosteroids was associated with delay, with odds ratios of 3 and 2.65 respectively. The relationships of the other variables were not statistically relevant.