The diagnosis is downright heart stopping. We’re talking about leukemia. According to the American Leukemia Foundation, somebody in the United States is diagnosed with leukemia every four minutes.
For as many people who suffer from the deadly disease, leukemia is one of those health conditions about which many people know very little. They know it’s a form of cancer and that it can be terminal. They know people “get” leukemia out of nowhere, with no warning and for no concrete reason. So when a person begins experiencing unusual symptoms and feels as though his or her health is out of control, leukemia could be fingered as one of the possible culprits.
Understanding the actual symptoms of leukemia may be helpful in deciding whether you need to alert your healthcare provider of your ailments and whether this is a condition that you should discuss with him or her. Any time when you are unsure of why you are experiencing pain, discomfort or unusual physical sensations, you should talk to your doctor. Whether you indeed have a serious illness or disease or a more benign condition, getting to the bottom of your health concerns is always the best plan.
10 Signs of Leukemia
There are many symptoms that can signal leukemia. Here are 10 symptoms that are associated with the illness.
- Abdominal pain: While this is a vague symptom that can have many origins, it is also a common complaint among patients diagnosed with leukemia. The physical ailment can range from a sensation of discomfort in the abdominal region to actual pain. If you have experienced ongoing pain in the abdominal region, contact a healthcare provider and ask for help identifying the reason for your complaint.
- Night sweats: If you are not currently going through the natural process of menopause, night sweats typically are a sign that something is physically wrong. Night sweats are also a sign of leukemia. You should tell your doctor that you are having night sweats and list any other symptoms you may have experienced recently.
- Frequent infections: Everyone experiences an infection occasionally. You should be able either to allow the infection to run its course and heal on its own with home care, or heal it with a round of antibiotics or other medication your doctor prescribe. However, if you feel that you’ve had too many unusual infections recently, it’s worth mentioning to your physician. You may need to undergo an examination and blood tests to determine the cause of your complaint. Leukemia is on the list of reasons why someone could experience more frequent infections. Reduced white blood cell count generally associated with leukemic syndromes causes this condition.
- Loss of appetite: If you’re typically a healthy eater and recently have no appetite or little appetite, work with your doctor to find the reason for the change. If your change in appetite is accompanied by weight loss, this is also a symptom of leukemia and you should ask your doctor if you should be tested for this type of cancer. An enlarged liver or spleen connected to leukemia can be the culprit for the feeling of fullness that causes you not to want to eat. You also may experience swelling of the abdomen.
- Easy bruising or bleeding: Leukemia is often accompanied by a lower blood platelet count, which results in easier bruising or bleeding. If you feel like you’re constantly finding a new bruise on your body or you tend to bleed more easily or more heavily when scratched or cut, ask your doctor for an examination and any recommended testing to help figure out why this is happening.
- Pain in the bones or joints: Bone pain or joint aches are other symptoms of leukemia. This can be a result of the leukemia cells building up in the bones or joints.
- Fatigue and weakness: A low red blood cell count can cause weakness and fatigue. If you feel like you’ve been overly tired, run down or feeling weak, speak to your healthcare provider for guidance in determining the reason.
- Swollen lymph nodes: When leukemia spreads to the lymph nodes, noticeable swelling can occur. You may see this swelling in the neck, groin or armpit, and the area can feel tender.
- Tiny red spots beneath the surface of the skin: Also called petechiae, you may notice small red spots present on the skin. This is another sign of leukemia and should be brought to your doctor’s attention.
- Shortness of breath: Also attributed to a lowered red blood cell count, shortness of breath may be a symptom associated with leukemia. If you feel as though you are unnaturally winded after performing tasks that previously took little to no effort, speak with your physician. There are multiple reasons why you could experience this symptom, but you’d least want to at rule out leukemia as a possibility.