Symptoms and Causes of Leukemia
- Thursday, July 9, 2009, 0:39
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The word leukemia is derived from two Greek terms leukos and aima. Leukos means white and aima means blood. Leukemia is a form of blood cancer. It affects the bone marrow as well. The white blood cells increase in the body of the leukemia patient.
Leukemia is not just a blood disease. It can be subdivided into one of two categories – acute and chronic. In acute leukemia the bone marrow fails to produce fit blood cells because of undeveloped or immature blood cells. This disease needs immediate medical attention. Children are most often victims of this disease.
Chronic leukemia is bit different from acute leukemia. In this case, the number of white blood cells increases in the human body. Unlike acute leukemia, this does not need immediate medical attention. As a matter of fact, doctors prefer to wait for a period of time to get the best results of the medicine.
Some common symptoms of this disease are bone marrow damage and too many immature white blood cells in the body. If the number of white blood cells increases in the body, then the body lacks blood platelets.
Platelets help in the blood clotting process. If a leukemia patient is injured, they may bleed excessively. A lack of red blood cells can also lead to anemia, wherein the body lacks sufficient blood.
Now the question is – what causes this blood disease? Studies have shown that environmental pollution is responsible for this disease. As a matter of fact, long term exposure to toxins can lead to cancer.
Exposure to benzene, a chemical used in gasoline and also found on cigarettes, can cause leukemia. It should be mentioned that just because benzene is found in cigarettes does not mean non-smokers cannot be affected by leukemia.
Passive smokers can also get the disease through long term exposure to smoke. Other than benzene, leukemia can also be caused by formaldehyde, various pesticides and radiation.
And since prevention is better than intervention, it is best to try to avoid this fatal disease. Avoid smoking and also avoid other’s smoke as well. Do not go for x-rays unless it is really necessary.
Keep away from pesticides. If pesticides come in contact with your skin, wash them off immediately. If you are painting your home, or using paint, keep your door and windows open to ventilate the area.
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sanjay has written 348 stories on this site.
