Leukemia is a progressive disease that includes the bone marrow and lymphatic system. It is a type of cancerous disorder that involves the immature or abnormal production of leukocytes. The exact causes of leukemia are not known but there are some of the risk factors leading to leukemia which includes:
- Previous cancer history
- Genetic disorders
- Exposure to chemicals
- Smoking
- Family history
Major Symptoms
Leukemia is a kind of malignancy cancer having the following signs and symptoms through which it can easily be diagnosed.
- Fever or chills
- Fatigue and weakness
- Frequent or severe infections
- Easy bleeding or bruising
- Losing weight without trying
- Swollen lymph nodes and Enlarged liver or spleen
- Recurrent nosebleeds
- Tiny red spots on your skin (Petechiae)
- Excessive sweating, especially at night
- Bone pain or tenderness
Bruises or easy bleeding
The fourth most common leukemia symptom is bruising (easy bleeding). A bruise is formed when the blood vessels under the skin are damaged and don’t heal. The bruise is formed due to a lack of platelets in the patients suffering from leukemia. There are no enough platelets to stop bleeding of damaged vessels and thus a black or blue patch is formed on the skin. It is generally different from normal bruising. A person must be aware to differentiate between normal bruising and harmful bruising in accordance to diagnose leukemia properly. The following are some differences that one must keep in mind to spot the difference.
1) The bruises will occur in unusual places
The bruise in the case of leukemia is formed in places such as the back, legs, and hands. In the case of children, the bruises appear on the face, buttocks, ears, chest, and head.
2) Large in number
In normal cases, it is a common thing to have bruises when there is an injury to the skin or any part of the organ but, when the bruises are greater in number on the skin then one must take it seriously as it is a cause of concern.
3) No reason for bruising
There is a lot of bruising without any solid reasons. Sometimes the bruises are caused by slight knocks that would not cause any bruise in a normal person. The person might not remember how he/she got hit by something that caused the bruise.
4) Bruise lasts longer
Bruise caused in leukemia patients lasts longer or it might take a lot of time to recover. The bruise often grows in size. Normally a bruise takes two to four weeks to lasts but in the case of leukemia, it may take more than four weeks for a bruise to recover. It is time to visit a doctor because the case may get worst and the blood vessels bleeding will be increased underneath the skin.
5) Excess of blood loss
We are aware of the fact that bruise is bleeding under the skin but in leukemia patients, blood loss can occur from other body parts such as frequent nose bleeding, heavy menstruations, and bleeding from gums. These kinds of bleeding are unusual in the case of leukemia as they occurred without any injury.
Reasons for bruising
As we already discussed earlier, leukemia is a type of cancer affecting the body’s bone marrow and healthy blood cells. People suffering from leukemia experience abnormal leukocytes along with a low level of platelet cell.
Normally the bone marrow is responsible for the production of different types of blood cells, present inside the bones. When a person is suffering from cancerous leukemia disease, there is an unusual production of white blood cells in the bone marrow. These abnormal cells block and slow down the production of normal blood cells.
Platelets
These are the colorless, disc-shaped cells in the blood which are responsible for the formation of blood clots during an injury. In the case of leukemia, the chances of bruising increased as the patient have a low number of platelets. The reason behind this shortage of platelets is the blockage of its production due to abnormal or unusual amounts of leukocytes production. Scientifically the condition is called thrombocytopenia when there is less number of platelets than normal level in the blood. The normal range of platelets within the healthy human being is 150,000 – 450,000 platelets per ml of blood. The level less than this indicate that there is some sort of problem inside the body.
Petechiae
Sometimes the person suffering from leukemia may come across a condition in which there are small patches or we can say red spots on the skin that are also called Petechiae. These are usually pin-head size spots that appear on the skin and can be resembled with rashes, it indicates the symptom of leukemia. They are mainly harmless and appear on the arms, legs, and stomach that can be red, purple, or brown. The reason for these spots appears on the skin is the damaged capillaries and the bleeding from these capillaries causes the development and appearance of such spots. They are scientifically occurred due to physical stress on these capillaries such as hard coughing, vomiting with force, and crying with extreme force by the patient.
Paleness of the skin
Paleness is one of the major symptoms that may indicate the presence of leukemia in a person. Along with bruises and red patches, the patient may also experience a change in skin color (paleness). It is due to the loss of blood due to internal bleeding from the vessels under the skin, and the disrupted production of all types of blood cells which also includes the red blood cells. It is a major cause of concern when a person’s color is turning pale or complexion is changing. It might be a sign that the person is suffering from leukemia.
Reasons for concern
When a person is suffering from any of the above-mentioned signs and symptoms, it is the time that one must be concern about his/her health. Leukemia is one of the most quickly developing diseases. While in some cases there is no need to worry because a person can normally develop bruises, but if the condition becomes severe then one must visit the doctor before it’s too late.
As we are aware that these symptoms can also appear with normal injuries, so it is necessary to check out all the other signs and symptoms before jumping into any conclusion. But it is also advised and necessary to become aware and spread awareness regarding this life-threatening medical condition.