Leukaemia
Leukaemia
Leukaemia effects around 8,600 people each year in the UK and occurs when the stem cells, found in your bone marrow, over produce.
We make around 10 billion new cells each day, and in order for this to happen, cells divide. This involves copying our entire DNA code, which includes information of how the cell should grow. Leukaemia occurs when there is an alter in this piece of code. .
There are also five other types of Leukaemia, which are quite rare. These are:
- Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (CML)
- Hairy Cell Leukaemia (HCL)
- Large Granular Leukaemia (HCL)
- T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (T-CLL)
- Prolymphoblastic Leukaemia (PLL)
Types of Leukaemia
Altogether, there are 9 different types of Leukaemia.
But the most common types are:
- Acute Lymphoblasic Leukaemia (ALL)
- Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML)
- Chronic Lymphoblasic Leukaemia (CLL)
- Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML)
Acute Leukaemia is most common within younger people, as it develops rapidly and aggressively, over a couple of weeks, or even days and required immediate treatment. Whereas Chronic Leukaemia tends to occur within older people, as it develops slowly, over years.
Once determining the period at which it develops, Leukaemia is then separated further into which white blood cells the Leukaemia is attacking. Lymphoblasic affects the Lymphoblast cells which help fight infections, whereas Myeliod affects the Myeloid cells. These complete a number of functions, including fighting bacterial infections, defending your body against parasites and preventing the spread of tissue damage. But in both cases, the abnormal white blood cells result in a decrease in the amount of red blood cells (carrying oxygen) and platelets (which help clot blood) released into your blood stream. This causes you to become exhausted and to bleed easily (forming bruises), which may be the cause of your symptoms.
Causes
The main cause for Leukaemia is still unknown and can affect anyone, but there are a few factors which can increase your risk of having Leukaemia (Excluding CLL):
- Exposure to high levels of radiation (including Radiotherapy)
- Exposure to Benzene (chemical used in manufacturing and in cigarette smoke)
- Underlying blood disorder / genetic condition (for example, Down's Syndrome)
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms to look out for, with the most common:
- Pale Skin
- Tiredness / Fatigue
- Breathlessness
- Frequent Infections
- Unusual and Frequent Bleeds
- Unusual Amount of Bruises
- Night Sweats.
Treatment
There are a number of factors which will affect the treatment you receive, including the type of Leukaemia and your age.
The main course of treatment will involve a form of Chemotherapy, and in some cases, a Bone Marrow or Steam Cell transplant may be required (especially if the Leukaemia is Actue).