Acute and chronic leukemia belong to malignant tumors of the hematopoietic system. If a sharp tumor growth of undifferentiated cells has begun, then this is an acute form of the disease, and chronic is diagnosed by the action of cancer cells on immature hematopoietic. This type is characterized mainly by a slow course and is more common in older people. For several years, a benign course of the disease is possible. During this period, the number of neutrophilic leukocytes or lymphocytes in the blood increases, depending on the type of leukemia. Leukemia infiltration affects the bone marrow, lymph nodes, kidneys, myocardium and blood vessels, in which leukemic rhinestones and blood clots can form, leading to heart attacks. At a time when the benign course of chronic leukemia is replaced by a malignant one, blast forms of cells (lymphoblasts, myeloblasts, erythroblasts) appear in the blood-forming organs, blood and tissues, the number of which is growing rapidly. The number of leukocytes in peripheral blood also increases rapidly. There is a blast crisis, which often leads to the death of patients, but most often patients die from infectious complications.
Chronic leukemia disrupts the normal synthesis of immunoglobulins, leads to a sharp inhibition of the functions of the immune system, resulting in a secondary infection, which often causes the death of patients.
The symptoms of the early stages of the disease are so mild that they can be attributed to ordinary fatigue, accompanied by weakness, malaise due to stressful situations, fatigue at work, etc. In the future, infectious diseases can become more frequent, the reason for which is a decrease in immunity. All these symptoms are so familiar that chronic leukemia can remain undetectable for a long time.
When diagnosing this disease, in no case should you self-medicate! You can only pay special attention to maintaining the protective functions of the body, increasing immunity and minimizing stressful situations. With the proper organization of the regimen, a healthy diet, the disease may not appear for a long period, and the general condition and ability to work for a long time remain normal.
Chronic leukemia is diagnosed using a general and biochemical blood test. After confirming the disease, bone marrow puncture is performed.
Effective treatment is antitumor chemotherapy and radiation therapy. If the outcome is successful, the disease can go into remission, the symptoms disappear, and the patient can return to normal. In chronic myeloid leukemia, bone marrow transplantation is effective . In this case, first all of its cells are destroyed by radiation therapy, and then restored by transplantation from the donor.
Modern medicine finds it difficult to say exactly why a person has such a serious disease as chronic leukemia, but, according to leading experts, there are some factors that may affect the onset of the disease:
- the presence of hereditary chromosomal defects;
- exposure to radiation;
- the effect of chemical factors (drug abuse in the treatment of other oncological diseases);
- frequent infectious viral diseases (chronic lymphocytic leukemia may develop).
Everyone should be responsible for their own health and life. Timely access to a doctor and regular medical examinations will allow you to identify various diseases in the early stages, which increases the chances of a successful cure.