[Electrolytic changes in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during remission induction].

The alterations of the water-electrolyte balance are among the commonest early complications of treatment in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). A study was carried out in thirteen patients with ALL aged between 1.5 and 14 years. Four had high risk ALL and nine had standard risk ALL. All patients received intravenous epirubicin and vincristine, per os prednisone, allopurinol and bicarbonate, and intrathecal methotrexate and hydrocortisone. Venous blood was drawn before starting therapy and on days second and sixth of treatment in order to assay sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphate, magnesium, albumin, urea nitrogen, creatinine and uric acid concentrations. The following alterations were found: hyponatraemia in 4 cases, hypokalemia in 9, hypomagnesaemia in 9, hypocalcaemia in 11, hypophosphataemia in 9, hypouricemia in 3 and hyperuricaemia in 3 others. None of the patients developed acute renal insufficiency. These abnormalities could be due to the leukaemia itself or appear as a consequence of the remission induction treatment.