The Different Types Of Leukemia And Their Symptoms

Leukemia affects white blood cells. WBCs are extremely crucial for your body as they help you fight against viruses, bacterias, and other diseases. WBCs divide quickly and crowd out the normal ones. There are different types of leukemia, including acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In this article, we will discuss the different types of leukemia and their symptoms.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Acute myelogenous leukemia is cancer that occurs in the bone marrow and the blood. It affects white blood cells, causing them to grow and multiply abnormally. This is one of the most common cancers in the country.

Symptoms
The early symptoms of this cancer may closely resemble those of the flu. This may cause the symptoms to get ignored or be left unattended. A few of the symptoms are as follows.

  • Pin in the bones and joints
  • Bleeding gums
  • Bruises
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Liver, testicle, or spleen enlargement
  • Paleness

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
Acute lymphocytic leukemia occurs in the blood as well as the bone marrow. This cancer is common among children below the age of 5. It also affects adults, however, with a lesser chance of remission. In this type of cancer, the white blood cells increase and travel rapidly.

Symptoms
ALL makes you prone to frequent infections and bleeding. Apart from those, the possible symptoms are as follows.

  • Bleeding and swelling in the gums
  • Unexplainable weight loss
  • Night sweats
  • Shortness of breath
  • Abnormal periods in women
  • Pain in the bones
  • Nosebleeds

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
Chronic myelogenous leukemia is the cancer of the white blood cells. It grows slower than what it does in acute leukemias but is as fatal as the others. In this type of leukemia, white blood cells grow and multiply intractably.

Symptoms
CML’s symptoms are very common and similar to several other illnesses. Due to this, CML could be harder to diagnose, as its symptoms could be easily ignored or passed off as something unimportant. A diagnosis can only be confirmed after several tests and physical examinations. Some symptoms are as follows.

  • Weakness
  • Fever
  • Weight loss
  • Pain in the bones
  • Shortness of breath
  • Low red blood cell count (anemia)
  • Bloating in the stomach

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a form of cancer that affects the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that helps your body fight against infection. As the cells increase, they crowd against the normal cells.

Symptoms
A person suffering from CLL may not experience any symptoms. The cancer is normally diagnosed in a routine blood test. You may experience the following symptoms.

  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent illnesses
  • Chills
  • Sweating (mostly at night)
  • Mysterious weight loss
  • Swelling in the lymph nodes

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