Disease Diary - Leukemia
Blood Disease : Leukemia Leukemia is cancer of blood cells. It starts in the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. When healthy, your bone marrow makes:
· white blood cells that helps fight against infections
· red blood cells that carries oxygen all over your body
· platelets which helps with blood clotting
Unfortunately when you have leukemia, the bone marrow makes a lot of abnormal white blood cells, called leukemia cells. These white blood cells don't carry out the jobs a normal white blood cell would do. They grow faster then normal white blood cells and dont stop when they should. Eventually these cells crowd out the normal cells. it usually leads to serious problems such as anemia, bleeding, and infections. Leukemia cells can also cause sweeling and pain to other organs. There are different types of leukemia. It is grouped by how fast it gets worse and what kind of white blood cells it affects.
· It can be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia get worse very fast and will make you sick very quickly. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowlyand may not show symptoms for years.
· It can be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lyphocytic leukemiaaffects the white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia affects white blood cells called myelocytes.
There are four main types of leukemia:
· Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
· Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
· Chronic lyphocytic leukemia (CLL)
· Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) Experts are not sure what causes leukemia. But there are some things that are known for increasing the risk of leukemia. You are more likely to get leukemia if you were exposed to radiation, exposed to certain chemicals at work (ex. benzene), had some types of chemotherapy to treat another cancer, have down syndrome or some genetic problems, or smoke. Symptoms vary depending on the type of leukemia you have, but the most common ones are fever and night sweats, headaches, bruising or bleeding easily, bone or joint pain, a swollen or painful
· white blood cells that helps fight against infections
· red blood cells that carries oxygen all over your body
· platelets which helps with blood clotting
Unfortunately when you have leukemia, the bone marrow makes a lot of abnormal white blood cells, called leukemia cells. These white blood cells don't carry out the jobs a normal white blood cell would do. They grow faster then normal white blood cells and dont stop when they should. Eventually these cells crowd out the normal cells. it usually leads to serious problems such as anemia, bleeding, and infections. Leukemia cells can also cause sweeling and pain to other organs. There are different types of leukemia. It is grouped by how fast it gets worse and what kind of white blood cells it affects.
· It can be acute or chronic. Acute leukemia get worse very fast and will make you sick very quickly. Chronic leukemia gets worse slowlyand may not show symptoms for years.
· It can be lymphocytic or myelogenous. Lyphocytic leukemiaaffects the white blood cells called lymphocytes. Myelogenous leukemia affects white blood cells called myelocytes.
There are four main types of leukemia:
· Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
· Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
· Chronic lyphocytic leukemia (CLL)
· Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) Experts are not sure what causes leukemia. But there are some things that are known for increasing the risk of leukemia. You are more likely to get leukemia if you were exposed to radiation, exposed to certain chemicals at work (ex. benzene), had some types of chemotherapy to treat another cancer, have down syndrome or some genetic problems, or smoke. Symptoms vary depending on the type of leukemia you have, but the most common ones are fever and night sweats, headaches, bruising or bleeding easily, bone or joint pain, a swollen or painful