Hematological disorders in Down syndrome: ten-year experience at a Tertiary Care Centre in North India.

A total of 239 cases of Down syndrome (DS) were seen in the genetic clinic between 1992 and 2003, of which of 15 had hematological manifestations at presentation. These comprised 4 cases of transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD), 3 cases of TMD/acute leukemia, 4 cases of acute leukemia (AL), 2 of dual deficiency anemia, and 1 case each of myelofibrosis and idiopathic thrombocytopenia. This study emphasizes the fact that an abnormal hemogram in a DS patient does not necessarily indicate AL/TMD, as a considerable number of the cases in this study had other hematological abnormalities. TMD can be differentiated from acute leukemia only on follow-up.