Mortality and morbidity caused by measles in children with malignant disease attending four major treatment centres: a retrospective review.
Measles is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in children receiving treatment for leukaemia. A review was made of all the documented cases of measles in children in first remission from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at four major treatment centres in 1974-84. Over the 11 years reviewed 1043 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were referred to these centres. Fifty one (4.9%) died while in first remission and 15 (29.4%) of these deaths were due to measles or its complications: 12 cases of pneumonia, 10 of them fatal; and six cases of encephalitis, five of them fatal and the sixth child left severely handicapped. These children would have had at least a 50% chance of long term survival. The severity of measles in the immunocompromised patient reinforces the need to improve the poor uptake of measles immunisation in Britain.
D000208:Acute Disease; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D008457:Measles / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies