This "blood cancer" is a cancer arising from hematopoietic stem cells. It is a very dreaded disease, often with rapid progress. Fighting with her is exhausting and demanding.
Famous personalities who lost his battle with leukemia
Leukemia can not be choosers, so among its victims can also find a number of familiar names.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common in children, but it also affects adults over 75 years. Children have pětasedmdesátiprocentní chance of successful treatment in adults is half.
Succumbed to this insidious disease such as daughter Michal David Misa.
The same fate befell Klara, daughter of Charles and Vendula Svoboda.
Also famous duo Grossmann and Simek suffered a similar sad fate: Jiří Grossmann died at a young age in Hodgkin's lymphoma, a tumor of the lymph nodes. Miloslav Simek is many years later, faced with a chronic illness called multiple myeloma, but that went in acute leukemia, which was defeated.
Josef Lux, Czech politician and former Minister of Agriculture, he was treated for leukemia for several years and died shortly after bone marrow transplantation from complications of this procedure.
Jeňýk Pacák, artist, multi-instrumentalist and former drummer Olympic also succumbed to acute leukemia.
From history to name a famous scientist Marie Curie Sklodowska, which was devoted to the research of radioactivity. In that time, but were not known hazardous effects of ionizing radiation on the human body. The Marie Curie as a result of prolonged contact with radioactive materials developed blood disorders, which succumbed.
When cells multiply out of control
When leukemia uncontrolled proliferation of immature cells derived from blood or bone marrow.
Leukemia has no single cause. Its origin affects a large number of risk factors, some of which can affect, others do not. Although the development of leukemia devotes a number of medical research, much of the cause is not yet understood.
Common to all types of leukemia is but one: in the affected cells leads to DNA mutations - changes in the genetic information in the cells of some genes. The result is a cell that escapes all control mechanisms to proliferate indefinitely and become immortal.
Known risk factors for leukemia include:
ionizing radiation,
some viruses
chemicals, mainly benzene and the alkylating agent,
hereditary disposition - it is the increased risk in children with Down syndrome
some types of leukemia slightly increases the risk of smoking.
Do not underestimate temperatures and prolonged fatigue may be the warning signs.
Leukemia can present a range of small changes that you may encounter, and if necessary upgrading flu . But if these symptoms last longer, and there are more of them together, it is certainly underestimate and consult a physician.
It may occur: fever, fatigue, night sweats, fever, weight loss, nausea.
As a result of the loss of platelets then leads to disruption of blood clotting and increased bleeding in question suffers a bruise on the skin may appear tiny red dots.
Declining and red blood cells, develops anemia , which identify by dyspnea and pallor.
A warning sign is even more susceptible to common infections and swollen lymph nodes.
Disease with many faces
As already mentioned, there are several types of leukemia. They differ not only by cells that are out of control, but also its course, treatment and prognosis - hope for a cure and survival.
Some forms of leukemia have sharp - acute - course, others are chronic, ongoing long-term and gently, yet even there they go to the acute stage.
Lymphoblastic leukemia based on bone marrow cells from which would normally develop immune cells - cells. In contrast myeloblastic leukemia based on cells that are precursors of red and some white blood cells and platelets.
The treatment brings hope. But it must start on time!
Leukemia is a treatable disease. Treatment includes chemotherapy , radiation therapy or hormone therapy. Its success depends on the type of leukemia and age of the patient. In children the chance of a permanent cure higher than in adult patients. Even if the disease can not be completely cured, the treatment brings hope to extend the life of many years and the significant improvement of its quality.
But it is important to get sick early on hematology department that deals with the treatment of diseases of the blood.
Author: MD. Hana Králová, expert uLékaře.cz
Source: U lékaře.cz