Copyright (c) 2026 Arcadio Benavides Martínez, José Leonis
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Acute leukemias represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality, and their clinical, demographic, and hematological characterization is essential to optimize diagnosis and patient care in Panama.The objective of this study was to describe the clinical, demographic, and hematological characteristics of patients diagnosed with acute leukemias at the Rafael Hernández Hospital between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Material and method an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted based on a review of clinical records, analyzing demographic variables, types of acute leukemia, clinical manifestations, hematological parameters, access to social security, and type of treatment received.Results Forty-three patients were evaluated, of whom 55.8% were male; acute lymphoid leukemia (55.8%) predominated over acute myeloid leukemia (44.2%). The average age was 35 years for ALL and 57 years for AML. Twenty-three point three percent came from the Ngäbe-Buglé region and 20.9% from Bocas del Toro. The most frequent clinical manifestations were mucocutaneous pallor (65.1%), asthenia (51.2%), and fever (32.6%). The time from symptom onset to diagnosis was ?4 weeks in 72.1% of cases. Severe anemia was observed in 66.7% of patients with ALL and in 42.1% of cases with AML; severe thrombocytopenia (<20,000/mm³) was more frequent in AML (36.8%). Leukopenia predominated in AML (42.1%) and hyperleukocytosis in ALL (33.3%). Seventy-two point one percent of patients received chemotherapy.Conclusion The results provide relevant local evidence to strengthen hematological care in Panama and encourage future research.
