Q. How can leukemia kill you?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Leukemia is a potentially fatal form of cancer that affects the body's white blood cells. It occurs when these cells become abnormal, reproduce out of control and accumulate in the bone marrow and other tissues, where they interfere with normal bodily functions. The four main types of leukemia are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
The most common cause of death from any type of leukaemia is infection due to lack of proper defence against infection, because healthy white blood cells are needed for our immune system to fight off invaders such as bacteria or viruses. Acute forms are likely to kill someone within a matter of months without treatment while chronic cases can develop over years before symptoms become life-threatening. In some cases, especially if undetected early on or not treated properly, leukaemia can rapidly spread throughout the body invading vital organs like heart and lungs which lead to further complications including organ failure as well as fluid buildup around heart and lungs resulting in difficulty breathing.
Apart from infections another major cause for death related to leukaemia includes complications arising out of chemotherapy used for treating it; issues like low red blood cell count leading to anemia, low platelet count making person bleed more easily or even stroke due high levels certain chemicals in the brain have been reported in severe cases receiving chemo treatments. Finally there may also be associated secondary cancers due radiation exposure during treatment although this risk is minimized by current methods used today .
In conclusion, though survival rates vary greatly depending upon individual case severity , age , type etc., it’s important recognize potential seriousness associated with Leukaemia and take steps towards prevention by avoiding things known increase its occurrence , seeking consultation with doctors at earliest signs something wrong so that appropriate corrective measures may taken time .