Mongolism and Congenital Leukemia

Because congenital leukemia has been reported only rarely and its association with mongolism is even less common,1it is thought worth while to report the cases of two mongoloid infants in whom blood dyscrasias occurred. REPORT OF CASES Case 1.— This infant girl, the third child of a 38-year-old mother whose previous children were normal, was born on July 16, 1952. The only abnormality of gestation was polyhydramnios. After labor was induced approximately three weeks beyond term the child was born asphyxiated. She weighed 3,632 gm. and showed generalized edema that was especially prominent on her head and face. After tracheal aspiration she breathed promptly, but eight hours after birth she became listless, apathetic, and jaundiced. Injection of nikethamide was followed by a mild generalized seizure. The liver and later the spleen progressively enlarged so that at 33 hours the liver had descended to the umbilicus and the spleen