(Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG), 2010-06) Kruger, Mariana
Leukaemia means white blood. It is a disease of the white blood cells and was first described by Virchow in 1845. Leukaemia can present as an acute disease, occurring more often in the younger age groups, or as a chronic disease, usually in the older age group. Acute leukaemia is rare, but about 1 in 2 000 people will develop the
disease. The two acute forms in children are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The chronic form is chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).