Leukemia (Blood Cancer)

Leukemia (blood cancer) is a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells produced by bone marrow. bone marrow in the human body produces three types of blood cells including white blood cells (functioning as an immune system against infection), red blood cells (carry oxygen function into the body) and platelets (the tiny blood cells that help blood clotting process).
Leukemia generally appear in person since the days of childhood, bone marrow without obvious cause has been known to produce white blood cells that develop abnormally. Normally, white blood cells to reproduce again when the body needs or is there a place for the blood cells themselves. The human body will give signs on a regular basis when will the blood cell-reproduction is expected to be back. In the case of leukemia (blood cancer), white blood cells do not respond to a given sign. Finally, uncontrolled excessive production (abnormal) will exit from the bone marrow and can be found in the peripheral blood or peripheral blood. The number of abnormal white blood cells that are in excess can disrupt the normal function of other cells, People with these conditions (Leukemia) will show some symptoms such as: susceptible to infectious diseases, anemia and bleeding.
  • Acute and Chronic Leukemia - Acute leukemia is characterized by a very rapid course of the disease, lethal, and worse. If this is not promptly treated, it can cause death within weeks to days. While the course of the disease have chronic leukemia that is not so fast that it has a longer life expectancy, up to more than 1 year.
  • Leukemia is classified according to cell type - When the examination is known that lymphocytes or leukemia affects lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. While leukemia affecting myeloid cells such as neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, is called myelogenous leukemia.From this classification, then Leukemia is divided into four types of designation :  
  1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia . Is the most common type of leukemia in children. The disease is also present in adults who primarily have been aged 65 years or more.
  2. Acute myelogenous leukemia . It is more common in adults than children. This type is used to be called nonlimfositik acute leukemia.
  3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  This often affects adults over the age of 55 years. Sometimes it also affects young adults, and almost no children.
  4. Chronic myelogenous leukemia. often occurs in adults. Can also occur in children, but very little.
  • Causes of Leukemia - Until now the cause of leukemia is not known with certainty, but there are several factors thought to affect the frequency of occurrence of leukemia :
  1. Radiation. This is supported by several reports of some research which handles cases of leukemia that is more frequent radiological Employees suffering from leukemia, patients with radiotherapy more often suffer from leukemia, Leukemia incidence was found in atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
  2. Leukemogenik. Several chemicals have been identified are reported to affect the frequency of leukemia, such as environmental toxins such as benzene, industrial chemicals such as insecticides, drugs used for chemotherapy.
  3. Hereditary. People with Down Syndrome have the incidence of acute leukemia 20 times greater than normal people.
  4. Virus. Some types of viruses can cause leukemia, such as retroviruses, feline leukemia virus, HTLV-1 in adults.
  • Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia - Leukemia Symptoms are generally caused differ among patients, however, can generally be described as follows:
  1. Anemia. Patients would appear tired, pale and breathing fast (below normal red blood cells causing less oxygen in the body, resulting in the patient breathes faster to compensate for the fulfillment of oxygen deficiency in the body).
  2. Hemorrhage.  When the platelets (blood clotting cells) are not reproduced with reasonable because it is dominated by white blood cells, then the patient will experience bleeding in the skin tissue (number of red wiggler width / small skin tissue).
  3. Esophageal Infections. White blood cells act as a protective immunity, especially against infectious diseases. In Patients with leukemia, white blood cells that form is abnormal, so do not function properly. As a result the body of the patient vulnerable to infection virus / bacteria, even by itself would reveal complaints of fever, white discharge from the nose (runny) and cough.
  4. Bone pain and joints.  This is caused as a result of an urgent bone marrow by a solid white blood cells.
  5. Stomach Pain. Abdominal pain is also one indication of the symptoms of leukemia, in which the leukemia cells may collect in the kidneys, liver and bile that causes enlargement of these organs and pain arises.Abdominal pain can affect appetite loss of leukemia patients.
  6. Swollen lymph glands. Patients likely to have swollen lymph nodes, whether it is under the arms, neck, chest and more.Lymph glands in charge of filtering the blood, leukemia cells can gather here and cause swelling.
  7. Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). The patient may show symptoms of difficulty breathing and chest pain, if this happens then it should immediately get medical help.
  • Diagnosis of Leukemia (Blood Cancer) - Leukemia can be ascertained with some checks, which are: Biopsy, blood tests {complete blood count (CBC)}, a CT or CAT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, Ultrasound, Spinal tap / lumbar puncture.
  • Handling and Treatment of Leukemia - Handling cases of leukemia disease usually starts from the symptoms that arise, such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Broadly speaking the handling and treatment of leukemia can be done by a single or a combination of some of the methods below:
  1. Chemotherapy / intrathecal medications
  2. Radiation Therapy. This method is rarely used
  3. Bone marrow transplantation
  4. Provision of drugs and hypodermic tablets
  5. Transfusion of red blood cells or platelets.
Therapy systems are often used in dealing with patients with leukemia is a combination of chemotherapy and the administration of drugs that focuses on the dismissal of the production of abnormal white blood cells in bone marrow. Next is the treatment of some symptoms and signs have been displayed by the patient's body with a comprehensive monitor.      

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