Signs And Symptoms Of Leukemia Every Woman Needs To Know
Leukemia is notoriously low on noticeable symptoms and even those that manifest are easily mistaken for signs of flu or just fatigue. Women may also ignore unexplained weight loss, anemia, or mid-cycle or heavy menstrual bleeding. Don’t, though! If you feel excessive tiredness, have fever or chills, night sweats, catch infections more often, bruise easily, have bleeding gums or frequent nosebleeds, have it checked immediately.
The big C is never a pleasant thing to deal with. But turning a blind eye on symptoms of cancer or hoping they are caused by something else can be worse. Unfortunately, a lot of women ignore early warning signs and just soldier on with their daily lives. And that can prove deadly. As with any cancer, early detection and treatment play a vital role in determining your body’s ability to fight leukemia – and your chances of survival.
Symptoms Of Leukemia Can Be Missed
Leukemia affects your blood and bone marrow, with the body producing excessive amounts of white blood cells. When your system makes too many lymphocytes, you have lymphocytic leukemia or lymphoblastic leukemia; and if the excessive production of granulocytes is the problem, it is known as myelogenous leukemia or myeloid or myelocytic leukemia.
As the number of abnormal white leukemia cells crowd out your bone marrow, normal blood cells aren’t produced. And this shortage of normal blood cells brings on the typical symptoms of the illness.1 But symptoms of leukemia, not just for women, but everyone, can be easily missed. In fact, some kinds of leukemia like chronic lymphocytic leukemia may never result in any symptoms at all! It is spotted only when you have a normal blood test and the numbers in your blood profile are off.
For certain kinds of acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia, the early signs and symptoms are so close to flu symptoms, you could easily mistake them for a common bug. A fever or tiredness may be dismissed as being overwork or sleep deprivation or the sign of an impending cold.2
Women Tend To Overlook Signs Of Leukemia
An estimated 19,646 women were diagnosed with leukemia in 2014 alone. A further 10,022 women succumbed to it that same year. A higher proportion of women with leukemia died from it compared to men, as a proportion of those diagnosed with the illness.3
While leukemia may be infamous for being the cancer that strikes children and young adults, in reality, it affects more adults than it does children.4 And women often get a raw deal here. As a woman, you may overlook some symptoms more than a man might. You could chalk it up to your busy life and the many hats you wear; or you may see some symptoms as a side effect of hormonal changes linked to your menstrual period. That said, do always take any of these symptoms seriously should you experience them.
Fever
Tiredness, Weakness, Or Feeling Out Of Breath
- General weakness/tiredness
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Palpitations
Pale Skin And Anemia
As mentioned earlier, leukemia causes the crowding out of normal blood-making cells in your bone marrow. With lower red blood count than normal, you will start to see signs of anemia due to inadequate oxygen supply. This includes fatigue as well as headaches, chills, and shortness of breath.8
Night Sweats
Mid-Cycle Bleeding And Heavy Menstrual Flow
Bruising, Petechiae, Gum And Nose Bleeds
Swollen Lymph Nodes And Spleen
Frequent Infections
Without an adequate defense system, your body is susceptible to infections. And that’s why people with leukemia may also notice that they fall ill more often and more easily. Infections, when they do happen, also tend to be more severe and last much longer than normal.14
Weight Loss
If your spleen is enlarged, the effect is amplified. You may wind up eating less due to a false sense of fullness because the swollen spleen may be squashing your stomach.15
Sources:
↑ | Leukemia. Leukaemia CARE. | |
↑ | Leukemia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | |
↑ | Leukemia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | |
↑ | [Leukemia](https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/leukemia/index.htm “Leukemia”). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | |
↑ | Cancer Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore. American Cancer Society. | |
↑ | Iron-deficiency anemia. The Office on Women’s Health | |
↑ | Signs and Symptoms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. American Cancer Society. | |
↑ | Night Sweat. National Health Service. | |
↑ | Symptoms of leukemia. Canadian Cancer Society. | |
↑ | National Institutes of Health. “Leukemia/Lymphoma Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment.” NIH Medline Plus, Summer 2008 Issue: Volume 3 Number 3 Page 11. | |
↑ | Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Cancer Research UK. |
Important Notice: This article was originally published in www.curejoy.com where all credits are due.
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