Leukemia refers to cancer in the blood-forming tissues such as the lymphatic system and bone marrow. There can be different types of leukemia and knowing the early symptoms and causes of leukemia can help you get treatment in time. Leukemia can be of different types, wherein some are more common in children than in grown-ups and vice versa.
Leukemia will typically involve white blood cells (WBCs). They are the fighting cells in the body that will grow and divide according to a pattern as and when the body requires them to. However, in people diagnosed with leukemia, these WBCs start to get produced abnormally in the bone marrow and these have impaired functions.
Early Symptoms of Leukemia
While leukemia symptoms are not the same for all types, there are some early common signs and symptoms that one should not ignore:
- Persistent weakness or fatigue
- Fever or chills
- Unexplained loss of weight
- Severe and frequent infections
- Enlarged spleen or liver
- Recurrent nosebleeds
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Bone pains and tenderness
- Excessive sweating at night
- Tiny red spots on the skin
- Seizures
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Shortness of breath
Causes of Leukemia
Scientists cannot exactly pinpoint the causes of leukemia because it can happen due to a multiplicity of reasons. Both environmental and genetic factors can be responsible for this condition developing. People with leukemia do have unusual chromosomes, but this reason is not attributed to the condition developing in them. While leukemia cannot be prevented you will be able to see some possible causes and identify some risk factors that can trigger it, such as
- Exposure to smoke
- Exposure to radiation in the past or to chemotherapy for treating cancer
- Family history of leukemia
- Genetic conditions such as Down’s Syndrome
- Exposure to specific industrial chemicals
Our blood comprises three different types of cells; each performing different functions: red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells, and platelets. The bone marrow releases new blood cells every day and these are usually the RBCs that will carry oxygen. But when one has leukemia, it is the WBCs that increase in number. The body starts to produce more WBCs than needed, and these cells cannot fight infections as they are supposed to. And since they are too many of them, they begin to affect the functions of other organs. As time passes, the body cannot get enough RBCs to supply oxygen or enough platelets for blood clotting.
Leukemia can be classified into chronic and acute, depending on how quickly it develops. Acute leukemia will start when majority of the abnormal cells do not mature and cannot perform the regular functions; so, this condition tends to deteriorate very fast. The chronic type will develop when there are a few immature cells, but the others continue to be normal and carry out functions optimally. Here, the rate of deterioration is slower.