What are the symptoms of leukemia in children?
Symptoms in children suffering from leukemia are related to the blood and its functions. The reason for this lies in the change in the composition of the same.
If a child falls ill with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), it develops various symptoms within a few weeks. Doctors attribute this to the rapid spread of malignant cells in the bone marrow and other body tissues and organs.
Acute myeloid leukemia and its symptoms in children
The leukemia cells in the bone marrow divide freely and interfere with the production of normal blood cells . There is a deficiency in the erythrocytes responsible for transporting oxygen . As a result, general symptoms are derived. This includes:
- reluctance to gamble,
- pallor caused by anemia, and
In addition to the lack of red blood cells ( erythrocytes ), the granulocytes and lymphocytes belonging to the leukocytes (white blood cells) are reduced or they prove to be non-functional. Infections accompanied by fever (body temperature of more than 38.5 degrees Celsius) are spreading. The symptoms mentioned so far occur in over 60 percent of children suffering from leukemia and are therefore frequent.
Platelets ensure that the blood clots quickly. If there is a lack of blood platelets, 20 to 50 percent of affected children develop:
- bruises,
- petechiae (punctate bleeding of the skin),
- bleeding from the gums and nose that is difficult to stop and
- rarely cerebral hemorrhage.
Children also complain of bone pain, which is particularly noticeable in the arms and legs. The proliferation of malignant cells in the bone marrow and in the cavities of the bones is responsible for this . As a result, smaller children refuse to walk.
Malignant (cancerous) cells accumulate in various organs such as the lymph nodes (lymphatic node), liver and spleen, causing them to enlarge and cause pain in areas such as the stomach (abdomen).
The disease affects the central nervous system in less than ten percent of young patients. This causes symptoms like:
- Headache,
- facial paralysis (facial paralysis),
- Vomit,
- visual disturbances.
Children with hyperleukocytosis as a result of acute myeloid leukemia are conspicuous for their shortness of breath. Other symptoms in children with this form of leukemia are rarely chloromas, which include myeloblastoma and myelosarcoma. These tumor-like accumulations of malignant cells in the lymph nodes, the bones, in the skin and around the eyes sometimes appear in a peculiar green color. In addition, there is rarely an enlargement of one or both testicles (testis) and gingival hyperplasia (gum proliferation).
Possible symptoms that children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia suffer from and their frequency
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of blood cancer in children at 80 percent, is associated with symptoms similar to acute myeloid leukemia. You can read what these are in the table below. Note that the percentages differ slightly in various sources.
| symptoms | frequency |
| paleness caused by anemia | 80 percent |
| general symptoms: – general exhaustion (exhaustion)- listlessness
– tiredness – feeling sick |
very often |
| Increased number of infections | frequently |
| lack of appetite, abdominal pain due to hepatosplenomegaly, the organ enlargements of the liver (hepar) and spleen (splen). | 60 percent |
| Sole enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly) | 63 percent |
| Tendency to bleed due to a lack of thrombocytes (blood platelets) Symptoms include bruising, petechiae (punctiform bleeding into the skin), nose and gum bleeding (difficult to stop). | 48 percent |
| Swelling of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) in the neck, groin and armpits | 63 percent |
| Pain in the joints and bones | 23 percent |
| Involvement of the central nervous system with headaches– cranial nerve palsies
– vomiting – Disorders of vision |
3 percent |
| Increase in the size of the testicles (testis) | very rare |
| Shortness of breath (dyspnoea) caused by enlargement of the lymph nodes in the chest or the thymus gland | 7 percent |
| Fever (over 38.5 degrees Celsius) | 61 percent |
Chronic myeloid leukemia and its symptoms in children
Doctors rarely diagnose chronic myeloid leukemia in children. It only affects three to five percent of children with blood cancer . The doctor suspects such a disease when the child is noticeably pale, an enlarged liver of various sizes and a pronounced expanded spleen.
Summary of childhood leukemia symptoms
The most frequently diagnosed leukemias in children are the acute forms. Eighty percent of the little patients develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At first, no one notices the child’s illness because it causes no symptoms in the early stages. In the advanced stage, there is impaired blood formation. The child is pale, has bruises and has impaired blood clotting. In addition, it is prone to frequent infections and temperatures that exceed 38.5 degrees Celsius.
Further sources of information:
http://www.kinderkrebsinfo.de/erkrankungen/leukaemien/pohpatinfoaml120060414/allgemeine_informationen/krankheitszeichen/index_ger.html
http://www.medizinfo.de/krebs/kinder/leukaemie.shtml
http://www.gesundheitsforschung-bmbf.de/de/514.php
