7 Early Signs of Leukemia
A type of blood cancer that causes abnormal growth and multiplication of the White Blood Cells (WBCs) in the body, leukemia can result in these abnormal cells crowding out the normal blood cells. Doctors often treat leukemia with a combination of medications such as chemo pills for CLL, G ilteritinib relapsed refractory AML, Xospata cost savings, Venetoclax ramp up AML, and IGHV unmutated CLL treatments. Here are some of the early warning signs of leukemia that one should look out for:
- Constant tiredness: Many ignore tiredness as a side-effect of their busy schedule, but it can also be one of the early warning signs of leukemia. As the body produces excessive WBCs, it can cause unnecessary physical stress and cause fatigue and tiredness.
- Abnormal weight loss: Weight loss is a common early warning sign of leukemia and almost all other types of cancer. When there is a tumor, the body produces a substance called cytokine in an effort to fight off the tumor cells. Cytokine causes rapid and abnormal weight loss.
- Swelling: Swelling can develop in patients during the early stages of cancer when it starts affecting the lymph nodes in the body. This can lead to random swelling in the body, especially around the armpit, groin, or neck. If one experiences swelling that is not associated with any other health conditions they might be dealing with, it should be considered an early warning sign of leukemia.
- Frequent infections: Although people with leukemia have excess white blood cells, these do not help fight infections like regular WBCs. In fact, these abnormal WBCs crowd out regular cells and decrease their count, which leads to the body being unable to fight infections. Recurrence of infections is another early warning sign of leukemia.
- Bone and joint pain: Another common symptom of leukemia is the rapid production of cells in the bone marrow, which often leads to pain around the joints and in the bones.
- The appearance of red spots on the skin: A telltale sign of leukemia is the appearance of tiny red spots on the skin, which are called petechiae. This can be a result of damaged or broken blood vessels. Usually, platelets help in the blood clotting process and prevent excessive blood loss from these broken vessels, but with leukemia, the abnormal cells reduce the platelet levels. This can lead to a delay in blood clotting and the appearance of these red spots on the skin.
- Anemia: Another common early warning sign of leukemia is the development of anemia or a lack of Red Blood Cells (RBCs). A lack of red blood cells can cause symptoms like fatigue, rapid breathing, and weakness.
Being aware of these early warning signs of leukemia can help one identify them and facilitate diagnosis while the disease is still in the early stages. This will ensure that patients lead a quality life, and it also ensures higher chances of fighting the disease.