Although, not attributed as one big factor, the rate and quality of marrow transplantation determines the extent of developing AML. A single cancerous precursor cell in the marrow that is transplanted could lead to the development of AML in healthy individuals who undergo a marrow transplant for a variety of reasons.

Certain syndromes such as the myeloysplastic syndrome, polycythemia rubra vera and chronic myeloid leukemia act as factors that lead to risk of developing AML. However, their complete impact are not yet fully determined and, thus, the cross linking of various factors in these diseases could be yet another factor.

Recently, a belief has sprouted that people who work with power lines tend to develop AML more frequently. This is due to the presence of low frequency electromagnetic radiation that increases the risk of development of AML. Low frequency electromagnetic radiation leads to alternation of the chemical complexity of the cell at the atomic level, which in turn leads to the development of AML in individuals.

As with other types of leukemias and cancers, obesity and being overweight have also shown to be a major cause for AML. This is especially true in individuals who have a BMI of more than 30, where the risk of contracting AML is much higher. Obesity is related to wide factors of metabolism that lead to the expression of various oncogenes that tend to make the cell cancerous or lead to the development of chromosomal aberrations that lead to the development of AML.

A particular study has shown that consumption of alcohol during the period of pregnancy has increased the risk of development of AML in infants. However, there are substantial studies required to validate and prove that consumption of alcohol is one of the risk factors that leads to the establishment of AML.

Autoimmune disorders are caused by an individual’s own body, where an immune response is produced against the self’s tissues. Certain conditions such as the rheumatoid arthritis, hemolytic anemia, ulcerative colitis and more tend to increase the rate of contraction three times more than a normal individual. However, the exact reason for the impact remains unknown in many cases.

Patients who have undergone treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma or other types of cancer with chemotherapeutic drugs, such as melphalan, cyclophosphamide or chlorambucil, are more likely to develop the disease. The risk of developing AML, to a greater extent, depends on the extent of treatment and the dosage of exposure. Thus, survivors of childhood cancer have a greater chance of developing AML when compared to the rest, although the risk is inversely proportional with age. Alkylating agents tend to interfere with the normal development of the DNA, whereas the anthracyclines are associated with chromosomal abnormalities in leukemic cells and thus lead to AML.

Besides AML, smoking is known to increase the risk of developing many types of leukemias in humans. Research has proved that smoking tends to increase the rate at which an individual is likely to develop the disease when compared to individuals who do not. Smoking contributes to about 17 percent of the risk factors that are associated with developing AML. This is once again attributed to the benzene that is present in the cigarette smoke, which acts as the major factor in the development of AML.

Inheritance of certain genes is also believed to be one of the predisposing factors that lead to the development of AML in adults. A few conditions such as the Fanconi anaemia increase the risk of developing acute leukemia in individuals. It is also known that children with Down’s syndrome are prone to get AML when compared to other children. However, patients who possess first degree relatives with AML are more likely to develop AML than by mere familial prediction alone.

Benzene, an aromatic carbon compound and a potent chemical, is believed to increase the risk of developing leukemia in older adults. There is evidence that benzene is present in traffic pollution, thus increasing the risk of gaining AML. Many derivatives of benzene have also proven to be carcinogenic in nature, although many have suggested that the impact of benzene in the development of AML is slight. Benzene is believed to interfere with the proper development of the white blood cells in the body, thus leading to AML.

It is well known that exposure to extreme levels of radiation increases the risk of leukemia in individuals. This is also applicable to people who have had radiotherapy for cancer, where the possibility to develop AML increases manifold. Radiotherapy, unlike the normal radiation, exposes the individual to higher levels of radiation, thus leading to the development of AML. There is also evidence that X-rays could lead to the development of AML by mutagenically altering the DNA of the normal cell; thus allowing the expression of the oncogenes to develop cancerous cells.