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Early signs of leukemia

Early signs of leukemia

Introduction

Leukemia is a type of blood cancer. It starts at your bone-marrow; people with leukemia may see many blood cells being made. These abnormally large number of cells are relatively immature and young. Such spells are also termed as blasts. The precise reason for onset of leukemia is not fully known yet. But factors such as environmental conditions and genetic factors are believed as key triggers.

In general, factors causing leukemia include smoking of tobacco-based goods, overexposure to benzene, onset of Down’s syndrome, earlier use of chemotherapeutic drugs, being exposed to ionised radiations, etc. Over and above these, those with a family track-record of leukemia are at greater risks.

Leukemia is part of wider category of tumors which affects your blood and bone-marrow. Typical treatments include combination of radiation therapies, chemotherapy, targeted therapies along with transplantation of bone marrow. In some cases, palliative care is also offered for expeditious treatment.

A few forms of leukemia are managed through a wait-and-watch approach. Successful outcomes depend on age of patients, stage of leukemia and its severity. In US, 5-year-rate-of-survival has already crossed 67%. Among children, rate of survival has improved significantly, to more than 70%. In case of very young children, a 5-year-survival-rate means an unlikely relapse of a similar condition.

Early signs of leukemia

Most forms of leukemia may not show-up through any distinctive signs, at the early stages. But a few signs are more likely to show-up; these are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), like bronchial asthma or other breathing conditions like bronchial pneumonia. This is also characterised by a few other signs like formation of sores in mouth, rashes on skin, migraines and an increase in body temperature.

You are also likely to witness bruises and profuse bleeding; you may see traces of blood in your urine and / or in stools. Anemia and symptoms associated with deficiency of iron are other distinctive early signs of leukemia . Those who turn anemic may experience an overall feeling of malaise, paleness of skin, being tired, etc. Inflammation of lymph-nodes is another typical early sign of leukemia: you may see nodes swelling in your groin and / or neck.

Reddened-spots on skin are another commonly observed early sign of blood conditions like leukemia. These reddened spots may not be painful or itchy. These spots can occur on any part of your body and can be of any size. A few other early symptoms include an inexplicable loss of body weight, a marked drop in your appetite, inflammation of spleen – this shows-up as a pain underneath your left ribcage.

As an early sign, a blood test may reveal a very large count of white cells. Such abnormal count of blood cells can cause eyesight-related conditions like retinal bleeding. Large number of white cells can also cause tinnitus i.e., ringing inside ears, mood-swifts or anxieties. In some rare cases, strokes have occurred.

Among many caregivers, occurrence of red-coloured spots remains a distinctive early sign of this autoimmune condition. Often, these spots may resemble a rash on your skin. These are not rashes. Instead, these spots indicate the presence of a bleeding condition below the epidermis i.e., the topmost surface of your skin. These red-coloured spots may occur mostly on your butts, stomach, hands, mouth and / or the inner side of your eyelid. These spots may – at times – look brown or purple. But, how to tell a rash from a red spot caused by leukemia? You can tell a rash apart from red spots by a mild pinch at the reddened spot. As you pinch, the spot is likely to stay purple, brown or red: on the other hand, rashes may turn pale.

Also, unlike rashes – spots caused by leukemia do not exude pain, and nor do they cause itchiness. In this light, you also need to know that spots of leukemia may also show-up due to infections, adverse effects of drugs used, or an internal injury like say, a bruise.

Leukemia remains as one of the common type of cancers among teens and children. As per reliable estimates, more than 25% of cancers seen among children tend to be leukemia. Within these blood condition, two sub-categories are more prevalent – 1. acute myeloid leukemia and 2. acute lymphocytic leukemia. These conditions may display a few early signs in both children and teens. These include breathing difficulties, painful joints and bones, turning dizzy, being lightheaded, fits, convulsions and seizures.

In some children, early signs of leukemia include swelling of the belly, profuse bleeding from nose, inflammation of cheeks, frequent spells of coughing and being tired for most part of the day.

Symptoms of leukemia

Symptoms of leukemia vary based on sub-categories of blood cancers. Most symptoms of leukemia resemble a lot with common illnesses. But unlike many common ailments, symptoms of leukemia tend to last for a longer span of time. Of the several symptoms, look out of chills and fever, sweating during night times, a significant lack of appetite, and fatigue.

Of the previously mentioned signs, chills and fever occur whenever your blood is bereft of healthier white cells; a healthy count of such cells is needed  to ward-off microbes and pathogens that cause infectious conditions. Nighttime sweats in another distinctive symptoms of leukemia; however, researchers are not able to identify the true cause being such profuse sweating in nights.

Lack of appetite is another sign; it makes you eat less, or not eat at all. This is mainly because of a sensation of fullness in your belly. A loss of appetite is often attributed to enlargement of spleen: such an enlargement presses your belly, yielding a feeling of fullness. Being excessively tired or fatigued is primarily due to an inadequate supply of oxygen. Such a deficit occurs due to the lack of needful number of red cells in your blood. 

At an advanced stage of leukemia, symptoms can be more discomforting and unnerving. At an advanced level of this blood condition, you tend to experience a host of distressful symptoms. These include an inability to take deeper breaths – instead, you may breathe in a very shallow manner through slower breaths and with longer pauses between two breaths, noisy spells of breathing, persistent blockages in your nose and nasal airways, episodes of dehydration – marked by drying of lips and other oral parts, turning restless, hallucinations, etc.

In some people, advanced-level symptoms of leukemia include discharging lesser quantity of urine, loss of control over bowel and bladder, being confused about place, time and people, lack of responsiveness and consciousness.

Leukemia is likely to trigger a few symptoms involving the skin. These skin-related symptoms are leukemia rashes, purplish or brownish spots, paling of skin and formation of lumps underneath your epidermis.

Further, the symptoms of each sub-category of leukemia are different from one another. For example, acute myeloid leukemia can make you lose body weight, lead to profuse bleeding as well as bruising and make you very weak / tired. On the other hand, chronic myeloid leukemia may not be accompanied by many distinctive signs. However, when symptoms do occur, you may witness a sudden loss of body weight, sweating during your bedtime, increase in body temperature and chronic pains on the lefthand side of your ribcage.

In case of acute lymphocytic leukemia, symptoms include formation of reddened spots underneath your skin, painful bones, a sudden drop in appetite level, formation of lumps in your groin and / or armpits, gasping for breath as well as wheezing. Symptoms of chronic lymphocytic leukemia also do not show-up at the earlier stages. Here, you need to remember that this form of leukemia is quite a widespread condition among adults living in Western nations. In the US, leukemia of this genre has a lion’s share of ~ 28 % of all cases of leukemia. Signs of this condition are frequent spells of infection like flu or fever, inflammation of lymph-nodes, fatigue, and loss of body weight.

So, when there is an absence of leukemia symptoms, must you consult a doctor? You are advised to seek medical assistance if any of the previously mentioned, early-stage symptoms of leukemia persist for more than 10 days’ time. Your treating physician will conduct a thorough physical examination, ask needful questions about your clinical history, and order for a panel of tests to diagnose your health problem. Tests usually ordered include those done on samples of your bone marrow, blood, and saliva.

Know more about early signs of leukemia, talk to your caregiver before the autoimmune disease progresses into an advanced stage.

October 29, 2024 Cancer , , , , , , ,