Leukemia And Its Types
The most common type of leukemia among children aged 3-15 is acute lymphocytic leukemia. Due to the fact that acute lymphocytic leukemia predominantly affects children, it is referred to as childhood leukemia. Childhood leukemia rarely affects children younger than 3 or with ages over 15. Despite the fact that modern medicine doesn’t hold the cure for childhood leukemia, the medical treatments and therapies available nowadays can slow down the progression of the disease and in some cases, they can even overcome leukemia completely.
In the case of acute forms of leukemia, the abnormal cells come from early, immature cells. Such forms of the disorder have a very fast rate of development, due to the fact that normal stem cells tend to multiply frequently. Leukemia cells usually don’t divide faster and more frequently than normal stem cells, they simply don’t stop their process of division when they should. Sometimes the numbers of white blood cells are very high, while in other cases they can be normal or low.
Signs of acute leukemia may include; high fever, abnormal bleeding, easy bruising and prolonged menses. Sometimes the onset of symptoms is more gradual with low grade fever, weakness, chills, recurrent infections or lassitude, lasting for days or months before visual symptoms occur.
Types Of Leukemia:
Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is most common in adults and causes the rapid development of immature white blood cells in the bone marrow crowding out normal cells and spreading these no-functioning cells throughout the body. This interferes in usual work of the normal blood cells.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is most common among children under the age of fifteen. In this leukemia the rapid multiplying of malignant immature white blood cells crowds out normal white cells. This type of leukemia responds well to treatment if it is diagnosed in time.