What infections are common with leukemia?

What infections are common with leukemia?

Types of infection included influenza, pneumonia, septicaemia (infection of the blood), shingles, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), a fungal infection of the lungs and an abscess on the leg.

What is leukemia infection?

Leukemia usually involves the white blood cells. Your white blood cells are potent infection fighters — they normally grow and divide in an orderly way, as your body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don’t function properly.

What is the main cause of leukemia?

While the exact cause of leukemia – or any cancer, for that matter – is unknown, there are several risk factors that have been identified, such as radiation exposure, previous cancer treatment and being over the age of 65.

Can you survive leukemia?

Long term survival of leukemia varies greatly, depending upon multiple factors, including type of leukemia and age of the patient. ALL: In general, the disease goes into remission in nearly all children who have it. More than four out of five children live at least five years. The prognosis for adults is not as good.

Are there different types of infections in leukemia?

They are not able to trigger an immune response when they should and fail to defend the body against pathogens. There are different types of infections in patients with leukemia. The most important are as follows:

Where does the word leukemia come from and what does it mean?

Leukemia Menu. The term leukemia comes from the Greek words for “white” (leukos) and “blood” (haima). Leukemia is a cancer (an abnormal growth of cells) of the blood and bone marrow.

What kind of white blood cells do you get with leukemia?

Lymphoid cells develop into certain types of white blood cells (lymphocytes and natural killer cells). As stem cells in bone marrow begin to divide and multiply, they develop into all the needed types of blood cells. In patients with leukemia, cell growth goes “haywire,” and there is a rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells.

What causes too many leukemia cells to be produced?

There are many types of chronic leukemias. Some produce too many cells and some cause too few cells to be produced. Chronic leukemia involves more-mature blood cells. These blood cells replicate or accumulate more slowly and can function normally for a period of time.