Symptoms of Acute Leukemia

Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
Updated on September 29, 2024
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The common symptoms of acute leukemia include four main categories: infection, anemia, bleeding, and tumor infiltration. Symptoms of infection manifest as fever, cough, expectoration, chest pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, skin infections, and perianal infections. Anemia is characterized by dizziness, fatigue, poor appetite, and decreased endurance. Symptoms of reduced platelets mainly involve bleeding, which can manifest as bleeding of the skin and mucous membranes, organ bleeding, and even cerebral hemorrhage. Tumor infiltration can manifest as gingival hyperplasia and skin rashes among other swellings.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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How is acute leukemia chemotherapeutically treated?

Acute leukemia is first divided into two main categories: one is acute myeloid leukemia, and the other is acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The chemotherapy regimens for these two types are different. Among them, acute myeloid leukemia is further divided into eight types from M0 to M7, among which type M3 can be treated with oral targeted chemotherapy drugs, while other types of acute myeloid leukemia require chemotherapy for treatment. The other main category is acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which also requires chemotherapy for treatment.

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Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
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Chronic granulocytic leukemia symptoms

The clinical symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia can be divided into two phases: 1. During the chronic phase, the earliest subjective symptoms include fatigue, dizziness, and abdominal discomfort. Other symptoms may also appear such as general malaise, decreased endurance, and nausea. Some patients may exhibit signs of increased basal metabolism, such as sweating, weight loss, palpitations, and nervousness. As the disease progresses, patients may experience enlargement of the liver and spleen. An enlarged spleen can cause abdominal bloating, discomfort in the upper left abdomen, and a feeling of fullness after eating. In a few cases, bleeding may occur in the early stages. In female patients, excessive menstruation is common, and while bone pain and joint pain are less common at initial diagnosis, they can also occur. 2. During the accelerated phase, patients often exhibit unexplained low-grade fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, night sweats, and increased weight loss. These symptoms are accompanied by rapid enlargement of the spleen causing discomfort and fullness, sudden swelling of lymph nodes, clear sternal tenderness, and osteolytic changes in bones leading to bone pain. Anemia also progressively worsens. Once patients enter the blast crisis phase, they may show extramedullary infiltration symptoms such as skin nodules, testicular infiltration, abnormal penile erections, and the appearance of green tumors in the eye sockets, among other serious complications.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Does leukemia cause vomiting?

Leukemia can cause vomiting. There are two reasons why leukemia patients experience vomiting: one is caused by the leukemia itself. If the white blood cell count in leukemia patients abnormally increases to more than 100×10^9/L, this condition is called hyperleukocytosis. In the state of hyperleukocytosis, the body is in a state of ischemia and hypoxia, which can manifest as dizziness, headache, and vomiting in the nervous system. The other reason is that during chemotherapy, the use of chemotherapy drugs can lead to gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea and vomiting.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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How is leukemia diagnosed?

When a routine blood test suggests the possibility of leukemia, further diagnostic tests such as bone marrow aspiration, biopsy, and immunophenotyping are required to confirm the diagnosis. Leukemia can be divided into acute leukemia and chronic leukemia. Acute leukemia includes acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Acute myeloid leukemia is further categorized into eight types, from M0 to M7. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is divided into three subtypes: L1 to L3. Chronic leukemia can be divided into chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Early symptoms of childhood leukemia

Generally speaking, leukemia can manifest symptoms related to a decrease in all three blood cell lines. Changes in these three lines typically include an increase or decrease in white blood cells, a decrease in red blood cells leading to symptoms of anemia, and a reduction in platelets, resulting in symptoms of bleeding. Children with leukemia often experience recurrent fevers and are prone to infections, as well as bleeding gums. There may also be enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, along with pallor of the face and lips, which appear pale and bloodless.