Disease Leukemia (Blood Cancer)
Leukemia (blood cancer) is a type of cancer that attacks white blood cells produced by bone marrow (bone marrow). Bone marrow or bone marrow in the human body produces three types of blood cells including white blood cell (functioning as an endurance fight infection), red blood cell (function to bring oxygen into the body) and platelets (small part of blood cells that help blood clotting process ).
Leukemia is generally appear in person since the days his small, bone marrow without clear cause has been producing white blood cells do not develop normal or abnormal. Normally, white blood cells to repeated reproduction when the body needs it or no room for the blood cell itself. The human body will give signs / signals when will regularly blood cell-reproduction is expected to be back.
In cases of leukemia (blood cancer), white blood cells do not respond to the sign / signal is given. 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 of this excessive amount can disrupt the normal function of other cells, Someone with this condition (leukemia) will show some symptoms such as susceptible to infectious diseases, anemia and bleeding.
Acute Leukemia and Chronic Disease
Acute leukemia is marked by a very rapid course of the disease, deadly, and worse. If this is not treated immediately, it can cause death within weeks to days. While chronic leukemia have a disease that does not travel so quickly that it has a longer life expectancy, up to more than one year.
Classified by type of leukemia cells
When the audit reveals that affects lymphocyte leukemia or lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. While the leukemia that affects cells such as neutrophils mieloid, basofil, and eosinophils, called chronic myelogenous leukemia.
From this classification, the Leukemia is divided into four types of designation;
1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (lla). Is the most common type of leukemia in children. The disease is also found in adults who primarily have been aged 65 years or older.
2. Acute myelogenous leukemia (LMA). It is more common in adults than children. This type formerly called nonlimfositik acute leukemia.
3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (LLK). This is often suffered by adults older than 55 years. Sometimes also suffered by young adults, and almost none in children.
4. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) often occurs in adults. Can also occur in children, but very little.
Disease Causes Leukemia
Until now the cause of leukemia is not known with certainty, but there are several factors affecting the frequency of occurrence of leukemia.
1. Radiation. This is supported by some reports from some studies that deal with cases of leukemia that radiology staff more often suffering from leukemia, Penerita with radiotherapy more often suffering from leukemia, leukemia incidence was found in atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
2. Leukemogenik. Several chemicals have been identified are reported can affect the frequency of leukemia, eg environmental toxins such as benzene, a chemical such as insecticide inustri, drugs used for chemotherapy.
3. Hereditary. Down Syndrome sufferers have an acute leukemia incidence 20 times greater than normal people.
4. Viruses. Some types of viruses can cause leukemia, such as retroviruses, feline leukemia virus, HTLV-1 in adults.
Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia Disease
Leukemia Symptoms are generally caused differ between the patients, however, can generally be described as follows:
1. Anemia. Patients will quickly appeared tired, pale and breathing fast (red blood cells below normal causing less oxygen in the body, resulting in the patient breathes faster to compensate for the fulfillment of oxygen deficiency in the body).
2. Bleeding. When Platelets (blood clotting cells) are not produced naturally as dominated by white blood cells, then the patient will experience bleeding skin dijaringan (number of larvae wide red / dijaringan little skin).
3. Esophageal infection. White blood cells act as protective immunity, especially against infectious diseases. In Leukemia Patients, white blood cells diterbentuk is not normal (abnormal) so can not work properly. As a result the body of the patient vulnerable to viral infection or bacteria, even by itself will reveal the existence of a complaint of fever, white-out fluid from the nose (runny) and cough.
4. Bones and Joints Pain. This is caused as a result of bone marrow (bone marrow) urged by the solid white blood cells.
5. Stomach pain. Abdominal pain is also one indication of the symptoms of leukemia, where the leukemia cells may collect in kidney, liver and bile that causes enlargement of these organs and emerge the pain. This may cause abdominal pain loss of appetite patients with leukemia.
6. Swollen Glands Lympa. Patients likely to experience swelling of the glands lympa, whether it is under the arm, neck, chest and others. Lympa duty gland filter blood, leukemia cells can be collected here and cause swelling.
7. Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). Patients may exhibit symptoms of difficulty breathing and chest pain, if this happens it should immediately get medical help.
Disease Diagnosis Leukemia (Blood Cancer)
Leukaemia disease can be ascertained with some checks, such as; biopsy, Blood tests (complete blood count (CBC)), CT or CAT scan, 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 several methods below:
1. Chemotherapy / intrathecal medications
2. Radiation Therapy. This method is rarely used
3. Bone marrow transplantation (bone marrow)
4. Provision of drugs and hypodermic tablets
5. Transfusion of red blood cells or platelets.
Therapy systems that are often used in dealing with patients with leukemia is a combination of chemotherapy (chemotherapy) and the provision of drugs that focuses on the dismissal of production of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow. Next is the treatment of some symptoms and signs have been displayed by the patient's body to monitor komprehensiv
