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 the person with leukemia, the bone marrow begins to produce relatively larger 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
There are few types of leukemia, which are usually divided into severe or chronic cancer as follows:
- Acute leukemia : Cancer cells grow very rapidly, and this disease may threaten the life of the patient significantly, the bone marrow produces large numbers of immature and abnormal white blood cells that enter the bloodstream, and these immature cells are competing 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 immune to infection and various diseases. The two most common types of acute leukemia are:
- Lymphatic leukemia.
- Acute myeloid leukemia.
- Chronic leukemia : In contrast to acute cancer, this type develops slowly and gradually worsens, and symptoms appear only after a long time, and sometimes the diagnosis of chronic leukemia by accident through the routine examination without any symptoms; because the cancer cells in this type Be mature enough, there is no difference in functions between them and normal cells before the 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. Severe leukemia causes symptoms similar to flu. The patient suffers suddenly within days or weeks. The chronic type usually causes a few symptoms or may not cause any 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.
- body’s temperature raising.
- Breathing difficulty.
- Paleness of skin color.
- Accelerating heart rate.
- Weakness and weakness.
- Feeling dizzy.
- Getting bruises 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 bones and joints.
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes in the neck, under the armpit, thigh and others.
- Feeling cramps 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.
- Sweat 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.
- Eating certain types of chemotherapy drugs used as a treatment, such as Aitoboseid, drugs known as Almalklh factors.
- Suffering from degenerative dysplasia syndrome or any other type of blood disorder, which increases the chance of acute myeloid leukemia.
- The presence of leukemia in the family.
Emergencies associated with leukemia
In some cases, leukemia or its treatment can lead to complications. Emergency cases must be treated immediately.
- Tumor degeneration syndrome: This occurs if the patient undergoes chemotherapy to destroy the cancer cells, but dies so quickly that the kidneys can not get rid of the resulting materials from the decomposition of cancer cells.
- Upper vena cava syndrome: It occurs when the disease worsens in the thymus gland, causing large size and closure of airways.
- Intravenous coagulation: Wide blood clotting occurs in blood vessels accompanied by hemorrhage.