What part of the body is most affected by leukemia?

Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells. Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don't function properly.

Does leukemia affect the whole body?

Leukemia can affect your entire body. Your symptoms might include headaches, easy bleeding, shortness of breath, and more.

What are the 3 crucial leukemia symptoms?

Common signs and symptoms of leukemia include: Fatigue, tiring easily. Fever or night sweats. Frequent infections.

Where do you have pain with leukemia?

Bone pain can occur in leukemia patients when the bone marrow expands from the accumulation of abnormal white blood cells and may manifest as a sharp pain or a dull pain, depending on the location. The long bones of the legs and arms are the most common location to experience this pain.

Where does all leukemia start?

ALL starts in the bone marrow (the soft inner part of certain bones, where new blood cells are made). Most often, the leukemia cells invade the blood fairly quickly.

What is Leukemia?

What is the number one symptom of leukemia?

Persistent fatigue, weakness. Frequent or severe infections. Losing weight without trying. Swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen.

How long can you have leukaemia without knowing?

Acute leukemias — which are incredibly rare — are the most rapidly progressing cancer we know of. The white cells in the blood grow very quickly, over a matter of days to weeks. Sometimes a patient with acute leukemia has no symptoms or has normal blood work even a few weeks or months before the diagnosis.

Does leukemia show up in blood work?

By looking at a sample of your blood, your doctor can determine if you have abnormal levels of red or white blood cells or platelets — which may suggest leukemia. A blood test may also show the presence of leukemia cells, though not all types of leukemia cause the leukemia cells to circulate in the blood.

Can you feel fine with leukemia?

Chronic leukemia often causes only a few symptoms or none at all. Signs and symptoms usually develop gradually. People with a chronic leukemia often complain that they just do not feel well.

What are leukemia spots?

Tiny spots called petechiae

One symptom that some people with leukemia might notice is tiny red spots on their skin. These pinpoints of blood are called petechiae. On fair and light skin tones, these may appear as red dots. On darker skin tones, they may be darker than the surrounding skin and less noticeable.

What are red flags of leukemia?

Some symptoms, like night sweats, fever, fatigue and achiness, resemble flu-like symptoms. Unlike symptoms of the flu, which generally subside as you get better, leukemia symptoms generally last longer than two weeks, and may include sudden weight loss, bone and joint pain and easy bleeding or bruising.

When should you suspect leukemia?

"A patient may be tested for leukemia if he or she has unexplained weight loss, night sweats or fatigue, or if he or she bruises or bleeds easily," Dr. Siddon says. "Sometimes routine blood work shows an unexplained elevated number of white blood cells."

What can be mistaken as leukemia?

Leukemia is commonly misdiagnosed as the following conditions: Influenza. Fever. Pathological fracture.

How fast does leukemia spread?

Chronic leukemia usually gets worse slowly, over months to years, while acute leukemia develops quickly and progresses over days to weeks. The two main types of leukemia can be further organized into groups that are based on the type of white blood cell that is affected — lymphoid or myeloid.

Does leukemia mess with your brain?

Leukemia cells can spread to the central nervous system and build up in the fluid surrounding the spine and the brain. This can cause symptoms like headaches, seizures, balance problems, and abnormal vision.

What organ system does leukemia affect?

Leukemia affects the tissues that make up your lymphatic system. This is a large network of organs and tissues that create, carry and store the cells that help your body fight diseases. It includes your bone marrow, lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, thymus and spleen.

What triggers leukemia in adults?

While the exact cause of leukemia—or any cancer, for that matter—is unknown, there are several risk factors that have been identified, such as radiation exposure, previous cancer treatment and being over the age of 65.

What does CBC look like with leukemia?

Understanding your blood count test results

If you have leukemia, your blood cells count will likely show higher than usual levels of white blood cells, which include leukemic cells. You may also have lower than usual red blood cell and platelet cell counts.

What age is leukemia most common?

Age: The risk of most leukemias increase with age. The median age of a patient diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is 65 years and older. However, most cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) occur in people under 20 years old.

What are early signs of leukemia in blood work?

Your doctor will conduct a complete blood count (CBC) to determine if you have leukemia. This test may reveal if you have leukemic cells. Abnormal levels of white blood cells and abnormally low red blood cell or platelet counts can also indicate leukemia.

What blood tests are high with leukemia?

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL): Blood tests of people with ALL often reveal high levels of lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) and low levels of red blood cells and platelets.

How can I test myself for leukemia?

There are currently no at-home tests that a person may use to aid leukemia diagnosis. If an individual has concerns about their health, they should contact a doctor as soon as possible.

Can you live with leukemia and not know it?

In CLL, the leukemia cells grow out of control and crowd out normal blood cells. These cells often build up slowly over time. Many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.

Can leukemia just appear suddenly?

Acute leukemia symptoms can often appear suddenly

With acute leukemia, symptoms tend to develop very quickly. You may suddenly spike a fever that won't go away, develop an infection for no apparent reason, or start bleeding spontaneously from your nose or gums and not be able to stop it.