Leukemia Essay

939 Words2 Pages

Living with Leukemia
Nicovia Rudolph
Anatomy & Physiology
Doris Wilderman
May 24, 2014

Explanation of Leukemia
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system and blood cells. The lymphatic system is connected to your circulatory system and is important. It is important because its role is to protect your body from infection and maintaining a stable fluid level in the body. Leukemia affects your body because it causes problems with your immunity. There are several types of leukemia that are known. Acute leukemia is the worst kind to be diagnosed with because the white blood cells do not function normally. White blood cells are the cells that provide immunity for your body and keep infections and other harmful bacteria out the body. Being that these cells need help to function, they grow very fast. Another type is chronic condition of leukemia, which isn’t as bad as acute. Unlike acute leukemia the chronic stage white blood cells are able to function normally. Some leukemia cells affect mainly adults while some affect adults and children. Lymphatic leukemia is a cancer that affects your lymphoid cells and the chronic condition grows slowly, while the acute condition grows fast. The same rules apply for chronic and acute of myeloid leukemia. They are characterized by the kind of white blood cells involved and the location.
How do you diagnose Leukemia?
Leukemia could be difficult to diagnose, because many people do not have any symptoms. Some symptoms include: Constantly contracting infections, swollen lymph nodes, fevers, easy to bleed and bruise, and fatigue to name a few. When your joints and bones are infected, you would feel pain in those areas also. A doctor can determine if a person has one ...

... middle of paper ...

...L), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). All four types affect both children and adults, but children are more prone because of their weak immune systems. Many of their white blood cells get destroyed, making their body work harder to fight off infections. Various treatments are giving to patients, and some may cure them while others prolong them. Some have signs and symptoms while it takes a while to develop in others. Treatment effectiveness depends on the person and other factors including age. Let’s pray for our leukemia patients and celebrate with those that have beat cancer.

References
Dr Kenny, Tim. (2012, January 01). Leukaemia A General Overview. Retrieved from http://www.patient.co.uk/health/leukaemia-a-general-overview Leukemia. (1996-2014). In MedicineNet. Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/article.htm (1,093)

More about Leukemia Essay

Open Document