Leukemia

Leukemia (blood cancer) is a type of cancer that attacks cells, 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 immune system against infection), red blood cells (carry oxygen function into the body) and platelets (small part of the blood cells that help blood clotting process ).

Leukemia generally appear in a person since the days of small, bone marrow without obvious cause has been producing white blood cells do not develop normal or abnormal. Normally, white blood cells to reproduce again when the body needs it, or there is a place for the blood cells themselves. The human body will give signs / signals on a regular basis when will the blood cell-reproduction is expected to be back.

In the case of leukemia (blood cancer), white blood cells do not respond to the sign / signal is given. Finally, the excessive production of uncontrolled (abnormal) will exit from the bone marrow and can be found in the peripheral blood or peripheral blood. White blood cell count is abnormal if the excess can disrupt the normal function of other cells, such person with this condition (leukemia) will show some symptoms such as susceptible to infectious diseases, anemia and bleeding.

Disease Acute and Chronic Leukemia

Acute leukemia is marked by a course of the disease very fast, deadly, and worse. If this is not immediately treated, it can cause death within weeks to the day. While chronic leukemia have a disease that does not travel so fast that a life expectancy longer, up to more than 1 year.

Leukemia is classified according to cell type

When the examination is known that lymphocytes or leukemia affects lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. While that affect cell leukemia mieloid as neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, called mielositik leukemia.

From this classification, the Leukemia is divided into four types as;
1. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (LLA). Is the most common type of leukemia occurs in children. The disease is also present in adults who primarily have 65 years of age or older.
2. Mielositik acute leukemia (LMA). This is more common in adults than children. This type was formerly called nonlimfositik acute leukemia.
3. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (LLK). This is often suffered by adults older than 55 years. Sometimes suffered by young adults, and almost none on children.
4. Mielositik chronic leukemia (Lmk) often occurs in adults. Can also occur in children, but very little.

Cause Disease Leukemia

Until now the cause of leukemia is not known with certainty, but there are several factors suspected to affect the frequency of occurrence of leukemia.
1. Radiation. This is supported by several reports from several research Leukemia case that the radiology staff more often suffering from leukemia, Penerita with radiotherapy more often suffering from leukemia, Leukemia found on the victims of the atomic bomb live events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

2. Leukemogenik. Several chemicals have been identified are reported to affect the frequency of leukemia, such as environmental toxins such as benzene, inustri chemicals such as insecticides, medicines used for chemotherapy.

3. Hereditary. People with Down syndrome have an incidence of acute leukemia 20 times greater than normal people.

4. Virus. Some types of viruses can cause leukemia, such as retroviruses, feline leukemia virus, HTLV-1 in adults.

Signs and Symptoms of Leukemia Disease

Symptoms are generally caused Leukemia differ among patients, however, can generally be described as follows:
1. Anemia. Patients will soon appear tired, pale and breathing fast (red blood cells below normal causes less oxygen in the body, as a result the patient to breathe faster to compensate for the fulfillment of oxygen deficiency in the body).

2. Bleeding. When platelet (blood clotting cells) are not reasonable because terproduksi with dominated by white blood cells, then the patient will experience bleeding skin dijaringan (the number of wide red larvae / dijaringan little skin).

3. The infection attacked. White blood cells act as protective immunity, especially against infectious diseases. In leukemia patients, white blood cells are abnormal diterbentuk (abnormal) that are not functioning properly. As a result the body of the patient vulnerable to viral / bacterial, even by itself will reveal complaints of fever, white discharge from the nose (runny) and cough.

4. Bones and joints pain. This is caused as a result of the bone marrow (bone marrow) by pressing 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 organs kidney, liver and bile that causes enlargement of body organs and timbulah pain. Abdominal pain can affect appetite loss of leukemia patients.

6. Swollen glands Lympa. Patients likely to have swollen glands lympa, whether it is under the arms, neck, chest and others. Lympa duty gland blood screening, leukemia cells can be collected here and cause swelling.

7. Difficulty breathing (dyspnea). The patient may show symptoms of difficulty breathing and chest pain, if this happens then have to get medical help.

Diagnosis of Disease Leukemia (Blood Cancer)

Leukemia disease can be confirmed by several tests, among others are; biopsy, Blood tests (complete blood count (CBC)), CT or CAT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, Ultrasound, Spinal tap / lumbar puncture.

Handling and Leukemia Treatment

Handling cases of leukemia disease usually starts from the symptoms that arise, such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Mostly 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 are often used in dealing with patients with leukemia is a combination of Chemotherapy (chemo) and the provision of drugs that focuses on the dismissal of the production of white blood cells in bone marrow abnormalities. Next is the handling of some symptoms and signs that have been displayed by the patient's body to monitor the komprehensive.