Leukemia is a cancer, which affects the blood cells in the body. It can occur to any person, at any age and is one of the most common kinds of blood disorders in the world. It is also one of the most common cancers in the world today. There could be a lot of causes of developing leukemia, but the exact causes are not yet known.
There are however a lot of risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing this deadly disease. There are several different categories of the disease, depending on how quickly it develops and spreads in the body.
What is Leukemia?
Leukemia is a type of blood cancer, affecting the blood cells and the composition of blood. When a person suffers from leukemia, the bone marrow in the body stops producing mature and normal white blood cells. In such a case, the body does not have normal and healthy white blood cells, leaving it defenseless against some of the most dangerous infections. These cells, which are abnormal in numbers as well as shape and constitution, are known as leukemia cells.
Another problem with these cells is that unlike healthy blood cells, leukemia cells do not have a standard life cycle. In fact, they do not get destroyed after a time, which causes an abnormal increase in their number within the body. These cells begin to out number platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells, ultimately affecting the body for the worse.
People suffering from leukemia are at a higher risk of developing even the most simple of infections. They also bruise very easily; develop blood related disorders like anemia and heavy bleeding. They also experience night sweats and have unexplained fevers. Some people may also experience rigorous weight loss due to the cancer.