Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31839893›Full record

ArticleMalawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi2019

A case of a 22-month-old boy with necrotizing pneumonia presenting with leukaemoid reaction misdiagnosed as leukaemia: a case report and review of the literature.

Shakilu Jumanne, Azan Nyundo

Open access · diamondAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Malawi medical journal : the journal of Medical Association of Malawi, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Shakilu JumanneDepartment of Pediatrics & Child Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Dodoma, P.O. Box 395, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Azan NyundoDepartment of Internal Medicine (Psychiatry Division), College of Health Sciences, University of Dodoma, P.O. Box 395, Dodoma, Tanzania.
The University of Dodoma · TZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Necrotizing pneumonia and hyperleukocytosis, to the extent of that seen in leukaemia, is a rarely reported presentation. The commonest trigger of such a presentation is an inflammatory process caused by an overwhelming infection which leads to bone marrow irritation. However, the misdiagnosis of this clinical entity as leukaemia should be avoided at all costs so as to avoid the anxiety associated with a diagnosis of cancer, both to the patients and their families. Case presentation: Here, we report the case of a 22-month-old boy who was referred to our Pediatric Oncology Unit (POU). Owing to a high total leukocyte count (TLC) of 98,000 cells/µl, there was a strong suspicion of leukaemia. The boy had been reviewed at another hospital where he presented with fever and cough refractory to the commencement of tuberculosis medications as a result of chest radiography findings. Laboratory investigations performed on admission in the POU were negative for leukaemia and other myeloproliferative disorders. A chest computer tomography (CT) scan was performed to delineate opacification in the right middle lobe. This revealed multiple necrotic and emphysematous foci in line with a diagnosis of necrotizing pneumonia. Subsequently, the patient responded well to a course of piperacillin- tazobactam. The TLC normalized and the cough and fever resolved over a period of 2 weeks. Conclusion: Here, we describe a particularly rare case of leukaemoid reaction with a massive leukocyte count. Such patients can be easily misdiagnosed as having leukaemia or other myeloproliferative disorders, especially in settings with limited diagnostic availability. Such misdiagnosis can cause undue stress on the patient and their families. Thus, it is important that patients presenting with these symptoms should undergo a thorough review of history, physical examination and a structured workup.

Indexed as

Leukemoid ReactionAnti-Bacterial AgentsDiagnostic ErrorsHumansInfantLeukocyte CountLungMalePiperacillinPneumonia, NecrotizingTazobactamTomography, X-Ray ComputedTreatment OutcomeAnti-Bacterial AgentsPiperacillinTazobactamleukaemiaLeukaemoid reactionleukocytosisnecrotizing pneumonia

Identifiers

PMID31839893
PMCPMC6895389
OpenAlexW2988082463

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.