Md. Birdwell et Bs. Ushkow, REFUSES TO WALK AS AN ED PRESENTATION OF ACUTE CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA, The American journal of emergency medicine, 15(4), 1997, pp. 373-374
New onset of childhood acute leukemia may present to the emergency dep
artment in a variety of ways. This report describes the case of a 3-ye
ar-old boy who refused to walk and had minimal physical findings, norm
al X-rays, and nearly normal lab screening results. His white blood ce
ll count differential led to the diagnosis of acute leukemia. The pres
entation and evaluation of acute leukemia in children is reviewed. Eme
rgency physicians must be prepared to rule out malignancy in the child
who refuses to walk when other more common causes, such as infection
and trauma, seem unlikely. Copyright (C) 1997 by W.B. Saunders Company
.