Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Symptoms

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Introduction

One of the most common types of leukemia found in small children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL mainly occurs in children aged between three and seven. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is also called acute childhood leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia.

What are Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Symptoms?

The cancer cells grow at a rapid rate, replacing healthy normal cells of your bone marrow (comprising of soft tissue that fills center hollow part of your bones) where blood cells are produced.

The disease occurs when genes break and depart from chromosomes, to cling and attach to other chromosomes. As a result, cells in your DNA start to develop immature white blood cells (lymphoblasts).

The ALL disease prevents production of healthy blood cells and has a potential for causing life threatening symptoms.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia signs and symptoms:

• Bleeding from gums
• Fever and shortness of breath
• Frequent infections
• Bleeding from nose (can be severe)
• Swelling of lymph nodes in the area of underarm, neck, groin or stomach
• Paleness of skin
• General tiredness or body weakness

Moreover, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia there is a quick progression of the disease that affects new blood cells.

The exact reasons behind acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) affecting children remain unknown. Most experts associate the disease with exposure to dangerous chemicals at a small age, before birth, viruses, or through radiation exposure.

They theorize that these factors can lead to genetic mutations which may result in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In children, signs for the disease can include bleeding or bruising that can occur easily even during performance of normal activity.

The affected child may complain of appetite loss and feel weak or tired on a frequent basis. In addition, the child may experience painful joints.

There may be other acute lymphoblastic leukemia symptoms such as lumpy groin with lumps in neck, armpits and stomach.

Signs of acute lymphoblastic Leukemia are accompanied by fever. In some cases there may be development of red spots (under the skin) as a result of bleeding that fails to surface.