Home / Treatment / Causes and symptoms of chronic leukemia

Causes and symptoms of chronic leukemia

What is chronic leukemia?

Chronic leukemia – form of cancer of the blood that develops slowly, sometimes for 15-20 years, and it is noted more often in patients of advanced age. The disease is characterized by accumulation of leukocytes in the blood and in the bone tissue of the brain.

Chronic leukemia affects the lymphocytes and granulocytes. These are white blood cells that contribute to the ability of the body to resist pathogenic viruses, microbes and fungi. If leukemia affects the lymphocytes, the disease is called "chronic lymphocytic leukemia"(CLL), but if affects the granulocytes –"chronic myeloid leukemia".

Granulocytes release the body from unsafe germs and other foreign elements, destroying and absorbing them, and the lymphocytes produce antibodies when the body is exposed to the penetration of microbes and the influence of foreign elements. Antibodies interact with the infecting elements so that they are fully destroyed and removed from the body.

At constant leukemia are produced by defective immature white blood cells, impaired production of lymphocytes and granulocytes, it is difficult to protect them from infection. Disease concerns, and other blood cells – red blood cells the transport oxygen, and platelets, which are tools for blood clotting, are also prone to it. Conclusion put on the basis of blood and bone.

Subsequent examination leads to the definition of chronic leukemia.

Sometimes chronic leukemia can be exposed to traditional therapy for many years. The patient requires constant medical assistance due to increased weakness, often and loss of body weight.

Often when minor symptoms of leukemia treatment is not conducted. Many people with this disease live a normal life for the past dozen years, but regular check-UPS are needed in order to be sure that the disease is not progressing.

Mainly chronic leukemia eventually moves into an active phase and resembles acute leukemia. In this case, are active anticancer therapy agents.

Cancer chemotherapy is aimed at destruction of the cancer cells. Modern drugs allow you not to harm healthy cells. Effective radiation therapy. A few months after treatment, the disease can go into remission where the symptoms disappear and the patient can continue to lead a normal lifestyle.

For patients with chronic myeloid leukemia may be effective transplantation of bone tissue. First, all the bone marrow cells destroyed by radiation therapy and later be resumed by transplantation from selected donors. As the causes of disease may be different, specific methods of prevention of the disease does not exist.

Causes and symptoms of chronic leukemia

Causes of leukemia was not found, but the risk of development known to modern medicine, increases with exposure to certain synthetic elements, radiation, pharmaceutical substances, and certain viruses. Chromosomal and genetic pathology also may be responsible for the cellular disturbances, leading to leukemia.

Chronic leukemia can go several years without open signs. In other cases, the probable sensations of pain, of weakness. At times there is enlargement of lymph nodes in the neck or part of the mediastinum, enlargement of the spleen.

In the formation of the manifestations of the disease, marked fatigue, loss of appetite and decrease in body weight, a feeling of heaviness in the left hypochondrium, unpleasant, heavy sweating, night sweats, anemia, a significant increase in temperature of the body hemophilia. In the transition to the current phase in the event of inadequate treatment, the disease progresses rapidly and often ends in death.


Treatment of chronic leukemia

No ways self-treatment of leukemia. However, in the period of remission in the absence of symptoms, the patient should maintain its condition for normal functioning. You should perform measures for strengthening of protective forces of an organism, it is necessary to provide proper healthy eating. Great importance to have an optimistic Outlook on life and positive emotions no matter what. A significant portion of patients with chronic leukemia with no symptoms of the disease leads a common lifestyle for many years without losing ability to work.

If you experience symptoms that correspond to leukemia, you should immediately contact a doctor. If speculation is true, I'll be systematically be screened for HIV as early as possible.

Of course, doctors will help fight the disease. To approve the diagnosis the doctor will conduct adifferent studies, biopsy of the bone tissue, will appoint medical examination to detect any signs of illness, for example, enlargement of the spleen. When the opinion is delivered, the doctor takes a decision about treatment, taking into account the patient's age, medical history, overall health, form of the disease. Antitumor agent used for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia can achieve remission in a significant number of patients.