Symptoms of blood cancer disease
Hyperleukocytosis, known as leukemia , affects 9,200 people in Germany every year. It is a disease of the lymphatic and hematopoietic system with symptoms that depend on the type of leukemia , but are often identical .
Many leukemia symptoms are due to the fact that the patient has few healthy blood cells or an excessive number of diseased, leukemic cells . Specific signs depend on whether the type of leukemia is acute or chronic.
Symptoms of leukemia are often non-specific
The first signs and symptoms of hyperleukocytosis (leukemia), also known as leukemia, are, for example, anemia or increased infections. Initially, there are no symptoms in chronic leukemia. That’s why doctors usually discover them later.
“White blood” due to blood formation disorders
Many leukemia symptoms are due to the fact that the patient has few healthy blood cells or an excessive number of diseased, leukemic cells. Specific signs depend on whether the leukemia is acute or chronic . Acute leukemia symptoms are not apparent but appear suddenly. The patient’s condition may deteriorate in just a few days.
Acute leukemia and its symptoms
The side effects of acute leukemia are not apparent, they appear suddenly. The patient’s condition may deteriorate in just a few days or weeks and, if left untreated, may result in death.
Typical but nonspecific symptoms of acute hyperleukocytosis include:
- tiredness and exhaustion,
- reduced performance,
- Paleness,
- increased susceptibility to infections,
- persistent fever,
- frequent bleeding from the nose and gums,
- petechiae (punctate bleeding of the skin),
- gingivitis (inflammation of the gums),
- hematoma (bruising),
- delayed hemostasis (stopping bleeding),
- non-autonomously derived weight loss,
- anorexia (loss of appetite),
- pain in the bones,
(The bone pain caused by the leukemia occurs in the bone tissue. The patient perceives the deep somatic pain as dull.)
- swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin,
- pain or pressure in the upper abdomen from an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly),
- Enlargement of the liver (hepatomegaly)
- Blockages of small blood vessels, rarely itchy brownish-red, purple spots, blisters or
- nodules in the skin caused by leukemic cells,
- Rarely severe headaches due to infestation of the meninges (meningeosis leucaemica),
- Sensitivity to light, facial paralysis, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting,
- dizziness or sensory disturbances due to involvement of the central nervous system,
- tachycardia,
- Shortness of breath.
Chronic hyperleukocytosis and its symptoms
Chronic types of leukemia and their symptoms usually only affect adults. They appear more slowly compared to the acute forms, which children also suffer from. The disease develops insidiously and goes unnoticed in the early stages.
Doctors often accidentally discover chronic myeloid (originating from the bone marrow) or lymphocytic leukemia during a blood test performed for other reasons. The doctor suspects leukemia due to an excessively high number of leukocytes , which is typical for all types of the disease .
With the proliferation of diseased leukemic cells and the displacement of healthy blood components, various leukemia symptoms occur. These arise from impaired or suppressed blood formation in the bone marrow. As a result, the patient suffers from anemia.
This is shown by a non-specific general feeling of illness
- the symptom of pale appearance typical of leukemia,
- exhaustion as well
- a low performance.
Red blood cells carry oxygen. Due to the progressive shortage, the transport of the vital gas and thus the supply of the organs is insufficient. The result is the aforementioned leukemia symptoms.
The patient with chronic leukemia also complains about a largely reduced number of erythrocytes (value of hemoglobin (red blood pigment) below 10 grams per deciliter):
- shortness of breath and
- palpitations.
The latter leukemia symptoms arise even with the smallest physical exertion.
Infections – a consequence of the lack of healthy leukocytes
The lack of healthy white blood cells means that the body’s ability to fight pathogens is reduced. As a result, people suffering from chronic leukemia are prone to frequent infections.
The patients do not feel well. For example, they complain of flu-like symptoms or serious illnesses caused by inflammation . This includes:
- Fever,
- Headache,
- inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia),
- Bronchitis (Bronchialkatarrh),
- Inflammation of the gums (gingivitis) as well
- inflamed tooth roots.
Other possible sources of inflammation can be found in the oral mucosa, in the tonsils (almonds) and in the anus. The main reason for the increased and recurring inflammation is a reduction in monocytes (largest blood cells in the peripheral blood), granulocytes (large white blood cells with fine-grained protoplasm) and immunoglobulins (defense proteins).
If there is a lack of thrombocytes (blood platelets), this has a negative effect on the clotting ability of the blood. Blood coagulation refers to a physiological solidification of the blood after it has left a blood vessel.
Accordingly, if the value is below 80/nl, there is a
- increased tendency to bleed.
Due to this hemorrhagic diathesis (blood penetration) it comes to: - increased menstrual bleeding,
- to symptoms of purpura,
the “blood spot disease” known as such by physicians refers to small patches of skin, subcutaneous (subcutis) and mucous membrane bleeding from the capillaries. - a tendency to hematomas as well as
- frequent bleeding from the gums and nose and
- Bleeding that is difficult to stop (e.g. after a visit to the dentist).
If the platelet count falls below 20/nl, this leads to internal bleeding in the absence of a noticeable triggering cause.
Symptoms of chronic leukemia are, almost without exception, swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpits, in the groin and on the neck. Doctors often find their patients have an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), which in turn causes a feeling of pressure and pain in the upper abdomen.
In splenomegaly, the weight of the spleen exceeds 350 grams. Exceeding the maximum normal values is another indication of spleen enlargement. These are four centimeters wide and a maximum of seven centimeters in transverse diameter. The length of the spleen does not exceed 11 centimeters in the context of splenomegaly.
Other symptoms of chronic leukemia:
- impairment of kidney (Ren) and liver (Hepar),
- weight loss and loss of appetite,
- Fever that appears without a cause
- heavy night sweats,
- feeling of pain in the bones.
None of the leukemia symptoms represent a reliable diagnosis of the disease. Rarely do all symptoms appear at the same time. An examination of the patient’s blood and bone marrow provides information about whether the doctor’s suspicion of leukemia is correct. If so, the lab finds immature cells.
In order to estimate the severity of the disease and the associated leukemia symptoms, the following list of blood values relevant to blood cancer , as they are to be assumed in a healthy person, is suitable :
Erythrocytes :
Men: 4.5 – 5.9 thousand billion / liter of blood
Women: 4.0 – 5.2 thousand billion / liter of blood
Hemoglobin:
Men: 140 – 180 grams / liter of blood
Women: 120 – 160 grams / liter of blood
Platelets:
150-350 thousand billion / liter of blood
Hematocrit (ratio of red blood cells to blood plasma):
Males: 41-50 percent
Females: 37-46 percent
Leukocytes:
4.0 – 10.0 billion / liter of blood
The proportion of granulocytes is 50 – 70 percent, monocytes 2 – 6 percent and lymphocytes 25 – 45 percent.
Symptoms of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
Several forms of disease fall under the heading of myelodysplastic syndromes. They have a general disorder of the maturation process of blood cells. For subtypes, this affects red or white blood cells, platelets, or other cells in the blood.
The typical symptoms of the myelodysplastic syndromes, which are part of the leukemia, include:
- so-called anemia (anemia) as a result of a lack of red blood cells.
It is manifested by paleness, ringing in the ears, dizziness, tiredness and nausea. - Susceptibility to infection due to a lack of white blood cells
- Tendency to bleed the skin (petechiae, hematoma), gums and nose if there is a lack of platelets.
Leukemia – a disease with numerous symptoms
The symptoms of acute and chronic leukemia are varied and non-specific. They range from those of the flu to swelling of the lymph nodes and enlargement of internal organs. In severe cases, the tendency to bleed leads to dangerous internal bleeding.
Sources, references and further information:
- http://www.krebsliga.ch/de/uber_krebs/krebsarten/leukamien/
- http://www.krebsinformationsdienst.de/tumorarten/leukaemien/risikofaktoren.php#inhalt7
- Download PDF: Patient information on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) from Heidelberg University
