Acute Leukemia
Acute leukemia is type of leukemia cancer that characterized by its rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells. This leukemia type can cause severe damages within a short period if it is not treated at right time. Acute leukemia can be categorized into two major types: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is also known as acute lymphoid leukemia or acute lymphocytic leukemia. It is characterized by its progressive bone marrow and rapidly developing blood cancer that is caused when the large amount of lymphocytes are concentrated. The number of lymphocytes increases rapidly not only in blood but in bone marrow also. This high concentration of lymphocytes results into insufficiency platelets, normal white cells and red blood cells.
Types of acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a common cancer type among children, as it children can easily get affected from it. However, researchers have not identified the exact cause of this type cancer in children, but there are some most frequent risk factors that are responsible for Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: family history of the same disease, age, exposure to radiation, race, medications and genetics. There are three major risk factors:
- Low Risk: Children between 1-9 years old who have white blood cells below 50,000/m.
- High Risk: Children between 1-9 years old who have 50,000/m white blood cells.
- Recurrent: Children who have previously gone through acute lymphoblastic leukemia
It is common among men, especially people who belong to the below mentioned risk factors:
- Untreated adults for ALL
- Adults with ALL in remission
- Adults who have gone through the treatment for ALL are also at the risk of recurrence of the disease
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
It is also called as acute myelogenous leukemia or acute non-lymphocytic that is caused by the increase in myeloblast number. This type of leukemia is also categorized into two types similar to the acute lymphoblastic leukemia:
This type of leukemia also can be divided into three phases similar to the childhood AML.
Symptoms of Acute Leukemia
Symptoms of acute leukemia differ as per the number of white blood cells, red blood cells and blood platelets.
- Anemia due to low red blood cells
- Fatigue and weakness
- Lymph node swelling
- Vomiting and nausea
- Recurrence of different infections
- Pains in joints and bones
- Excessive bleeding
- Spleen enlargement
- weight loss
- loss of appetite
- Problems in breathing
