Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with osteoarticular syndrome--characteristics and prognosis.

Unlabelled: Children with leukemia often present with osteoarticular syndrome as a first complaint thus mimicking juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The objective of the present study was to determine the frequency of osteoarticular syndrome at the onset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood, the clinical and laboratory specificity of such patients and the prognostic value of osteoarticular syndrome as an initial symptom.

Patients And Methods: We studied 60 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at a mean age of 5 +/- 0.