Early signs of leukemia usually include excessive tiredness and neck and groin glands are very common. However, the symptoms of leukemia may vary slightly depending on the course of the disease and the type of cells affected and age of the patient.
Therefore, often the first symptoms can be confused with a simple flu or cold, especially when they start suddenly. So if you think you may have leukemia, choose your symptoms to know what your risk of having the disease is:
- 1. Fever above 38º C Yes No
- 2. Pain in bones or joints Yes No
- 3. Purple spots or red dots on skin Yes No
- 4. Frequent tiredness for no apparent reason Yes No
- 5. Languages in the neck, underarms or groin Yes No
- 6. Weight loss for no apparent reason Yes No
- 7. Frequent infections such as candidiasis or urinary tract infection Yes No
Although there are two main types of leukemia, the symptoms are always the same, the main difference being in the progression of the symptoms. Understand more about the difference between the two main types of leukemia.
Symptoms of Childhood Leukemia
Symptoms in children may manifest at any stage. In this case the baby or child may appear to be always tired, not wanting to crawl or walk, and tend to get purple marks on the skin easily.
Although it scares parents, leukemia in children has a good chance of healing when the treatment is done properly, so it is always important to consult the pediatrician immediately whenever there are changes in the child's behavior.
If this is unfortunately your case, read through our guide on how to help your child cope with cancer.
How to make the correct diagnosis
The doctor can diagnose leukemia through examinations as a complete blood count and other more specific ones, such as blood clotting tests and biochemistry of the blood. Usually the doctor starts asking for the blood count and, if he has changes in platelets, he can request the more specific tests.
How is the treatment done?
Treatment should be started as soon as possible to increase the chances of cure. The treatment of leukemia can be done with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or bone marrow transplantation, according to the type of leukemia and the evolution of the disease.
Know what each treatment consists of and also the chances of cure of leukemia here.
