Abstract:
Background; Leukaemia is a heterogeneous group of haemopoietic cancers that comprise a
number of diverse and biologically distinct subgroups. It is a global issue which addresses all
regions of the world. Overall, these hematological cancers represent the 11th and 10th most
frequent cause of cancer occurrence and death worldwide respectively. In Ethiopia, there is no
adequate data regarding the current status on its prevalence and associated factors.
Objective; This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of leukemia among patients who
have abnormal hematological parameters in Jimma Medical Center from January 1 to April 30
2019
Methodology; A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who have abnormal
hematological parameters in Jimma Medical Center from January 1 to April 30, 2019. A
consecutive sampling method was used. Ethical clearance was obtained from Jimma University
institutional review board and consent from the study subjects or their attendants or guardians.
Sociodemographic data was collected by using structured and pretested questionnaire. A total of
332 patients with abnormal hematological parameters were included and their CBC parameters as
well as peripheral blood morphology and Bone marrow aspiration with Wright’s stain and
cyochemistry study with Sudan black B stain was performed. data was entered with Epidata
v4.4.31 and Descriptive statistics for theprevalence of leukemia was analyzed with IBM
SPSS v25.
Results and Conclusion; A total of 332 patients were studied. The overall prevalence of leukemia
was 9.3% while prevalence by type of leukemia was AML = 3.6%, ALL=2.7%, CML=1.8% while
CLL, MDS and undifferentiated Leukemia had a prevalence of 0.6% and 0.3% respectively. The
prevalence of leukemia is significant amount that needs further investigations in regard to the
associated factors and predictors
