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Different Types of Leukemia and Their Symptoms

Our body comprises of several broad categories of cells, including red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Leukemia is caused by the overproduction of abnormal white blood cells. This disease occurs when there is an increase of the damaged WBCs in the bone marrow, leaving a person more prone to infection. Different types of leukemia have specific symptoms. Let’s talk about what those are:

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and its symptoms
AML is the most common type of leukemia occurring in adults. It can affect any component of the blood and tends to spread quickly. The myeloid stem cells in AML usually mature into abnormal myeloblasts or WBCs. As they divide, they overpower the natural cells in the bone marrow and blood. According to studies, about 21000 new cases of AML are diagnosed every year in the country. The main symptoms of this type of leukemia include:

Anemia
Easy bleeding or bruising
Joint and bone pain
Tiredness
Frequent fever and infections
Loss of appetite
Unexplained weight loss
Bleeding and swollen gums
Excessive sweating

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and its symptoms
ALL usually occurs in children. In this type, damaged cells cause a shortage of normal blood-making cells. This disease affects the bone marrow and can spread to the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes. ALL typically shows up on blood tests and some key symptoms are:

Weakness
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Fever
Recurring infections
Blood clotting resulting in nosebleeds, bleeding gums or heavy menstrual bleeding in women
Pale skin

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and its symptoms
CLL is the third most common type of leukemia and usually affects older adults. There are two contrasting forms of CLL, one in which the cancer progresses slowly and symptoms may not appear for years, and the other is where there’s a rapid growth of cancerous cells. Both begin in the B lymphocytes as abnormal cells proliferate the normal cells. The main symptoms include:

Tiredness and chills
Fever
Night sweats
Shortness of breath
Decreased appetite
Swollen lymph nodes
Feeling full after a tiny meal (caused due to enlarged spleen or liver)
Recurring chronic infections in lungs, kidneys or skin

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and its symptoms
This type is quite different from the main types of leukemia. The vast difference that sets it apart is that patients with CML contain a gene mutation called Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, which turns normal cells into immature cancer cells. These cells grow slowly and crowd the healthy cells in bone marrow and blood. Some common symptoms of this type of leukemia are: