Chronic Leukemia: Symptoms and Types

Over 11,600 new cases of chronic leukemia are diagnosed in the United States every year. The disease is most often associated with advanced age: most people diagnosed are between forty and seventy years of age. Although the risk of chronic leukemia rises with age, any age group may be affected. Children comprise two percent of all reported cases.

The disease occurs when abnormal white blood cells build up in the bloodstream. Unlike acute forms of the cancer, chronic varieties progress slowly. While the abnormal blood cells do not reproduce rapidly, they are longer-lived than ordinary blood cells. By outlasting healthy cells, the cancerous white blood cells eventually accumulate in large numbers.

Chronic leukemia symptoms develop slowly and are vague; they often resemble a number of other, less serious medical conditions. Fatigue and fever are common. Unexplained weight loss may occur, and individuals may develop night sweats. Other symptoms can include heightened rates of infection, easy bruising and severe bleeding.

Abnormal white blood cells tend to accumulate in the spleen. This can cause a condition known as splenomegaly, or enlarged spleen. The condition causes a feeling of abdominal discomfort. People with enlarged spleens may feel full after eating even small amounts of food.

The disease can cause a number of blood-related disorders. Anemia, or a lack of red blood cells, is a common cause of fatigue.

Neutropenia is a lack of neutrophils, white blood cells responsible for combating bacteria. Therefore, people with neutropenia have more frequent infections with increased severity.

Hypogammaglobulinemia also affects the immune system. The condition indicates a low level of gamma globulin antibodies, which are proteins needed to fight infection.

Thrombocytopenia indicates low levels of platelets. Platelets are responsible for blood clotting. Insufficient amounts of platelets lead to easy bruising and bleeding.

Finally, a small percentage of people develop leucostatis due to abnormally high white blood cell levels. Leucostatis can cause headaches, confusion and dizziness and can affect the lungs and heart.

Because symptoms develop so slowly, many cases of chronic leukemia are diagnosed only when routine blood tests reveal unusual results. From there, more specific blood tests and bone marrow biopsies are used to finalize a diagnosis.

The two distinct types of chronic leukemia are chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CML is characterized by abnormal changes in myeloid precursor cells, immature cells that eventually develop into granulocytes, monocytes and platelets. All are cells that combat infection and assist in blood clotting. CLL begins in the bone marrow lymphoid tissue, where white blood cells are formed, and the malignant cells resemble normal lymphocytes.

This section is divided into articles on chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic leukemia treatment. To research other blood disorders or health topics, please use the morefocus search tool, or see the related topics listed to the left.