Blood cancer
It is a type of cancer that affects the blood cells and tissues produced as bone marrow. In the human body, blood cells in the bone marrow form as stem cells and begin to mature later to form different blood components (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) and then into the bloodstream. In a person with leukemia, the bone marrow begins to produce relatively large numbers of The abnormal white blood cells enter the bloodstream and begin to compete with healthy blood cells, thereby affecting them and preventing them from performing their functions properly.
Types of leukemia
Types of leukemia
There are some types of leukemia, which are usually divided into acute or chronic cancer as follows:
- Acute leukemia: Cancer cells grow very rapidly. This disease may threaten the patient's life to a large extent. Bone marrow produces a large number of immature and abnormal white blood cells that enter the bloodstream. These immature cells work to compete with normal cells In the bloodstream and thus disable its function to resist infection or stop bleeding or prevent anemia, making the body of the patient very weak and immunity to infection and various diseases. The two most common types of acute leukemia are:
- Lymphatic leukemia.
- Acute myeloid leukemia.
- Chronic cancer of the blood: In contrast to acute cancer, this type develops slowly and gradually worsens, and symptoms appear only after a long time, and sometimes chronic leukemia diagnosed by a routine examination without any symptoms; In this species are mature enough, there is no difference in functions between them and normal cells before cancer begins to worsen. There are two main types of chronic leukemia:
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
- Chronic myeloid leukemia.
Symptoms of leukemia
Symptoms of leukemia may vary according to severe or chronic type. Acute leukemia causes, symptoms similar to flu. The patient suffers suddenly in a matter of days or weeks. The chronic type usually causes a few symptoms or may cause no symptoms. Signs and symptoms are gradual, and patients with chronic type of leukemia usually complain that they do not feel sick. It is possible to produce many symptoms of leukemia from other conditions of the disease, and does not require the meeting of symptoms in one patient, so you should see your doctor if you find the following symptoms:
- Fatigue and exhaustion.
- General feeling of illness or discomfort.
- Loss of appetite and weight loss.
- The body's temperature raising. Breathing difficulty.
- Paleness of skin color.
- Accelerating heart rate.
- Weakness and weakness.
- Feeling dizzy.
- The incidence of bruising faster.
- Frequent nose bleeds, bleeding gums as well.
- Bleeding occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, and may bleed severely at its onset.
- Small red spots appear under the skin due to bleeding.
- Frequent infections occur in the lungs, urinary tract, gums, and around the anus.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Feeling pain in the head.
- Sore throat.
- Severe sweating at night.
- Feeling of pain in the bones and joints.
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes in the neck and under the armpit, thigh and others.
- Feeling cramped or fullness in the abdomen.
- Changes in vision, or blisters in the eyes.
- Swollen testicles.
- The emergence of so-called chloroma; the accumulation of cancer cells under the skin or anywhere else in the body.
- The appearance of pink ulcers in various forms.
- Sweet's syndrome: This syndrome accompanies leukemia, causes high body temperature, and painful ulcers occur in different parts of the body.
Factors that increase the chance of leukemia
The causes of leukemia are almost unknown, but there are certain risk factors that increase the chance of infection. The presence of one or more risk factors does not necessarily mean a person has leukemia. These include:
- Suffering from certain genetic disorders such as Down syndrome associated with increased risk of leukemia.
- Exposure to different types of radiation at high levels.
- Smoking was found to be associated with acute myeloid leukemia.
- Exposure to the substance of gasoline commonly used in the chemical industry.
- Treatment of certain types of drugs used as a chemical treatment, such as autopsied, and drugs known as alkaline agents.
- Suffering from a degenerative syndrome or any other type of blood disorder, which increases the chance of acute myeloid leukemia.
- The presence of leukemia in the family.