Risk factors occurring in various types of acute leukemia

The present investigations demonstrate that as far as the genesis of non-lymphatic leukemias is concerned environmental factors may be assumed as an aetiological factor to an increasing extent. Medicaments, particularly cytostatics, exogenous noxious occupational agents and infectious-inflammatory diseases might be significant for developing ANLL, whereas virus infection, immunizations, and acclimatization to specific conditions of climate may be rather attributed as risk factors for ALL. A tendency to deviations from the blood picture ( lymphomonocytosis , leukocytopenia, toxic granulation of neutrophilic granulocytes) can be increasingly observed in workers engaged in chemical industry, with these changes, being still reversible. A permanent effect of exogenous toxic agents, however, will produce a serious damage of the bone-marrow. Further investigations are provided for elucidating the function of different haemopoietic cell systems, particularly the immune status, in workers of those enterprises where an exposure to noxious substances can be found.