About Leukemia
Leukemia is a category of blood cancers that mostly start in the bone marrow and produce abnormal blood cells. The four main types of Leuke
mia are acute lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), And Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Leukemia is the most common kind of cancer diagnosed in children, though most diagnoses are in people aged in their 60’s to 70’s and more commonly in men.
How It Affects Hauora
Leukemia affects the white blood cells in the body. Since the blood cells that are produced are abnormal and immature, and white blood cells are in charge of fighting infections and illnesses, this means the immune system cannot work properly and make the body more susceptible to simple viruses and infections. This could mean that some people with Leukemia may not be able to have regular contact with friends and family or go outside to public spaces. One of the treatments for Leukemia is chemotherapy, which can kill normal white blood cells along with the abnormal ones. This can also leave the immune system weakened. Treatments of leukemia can also be very scary and traumatic especially in young children.
This could affect somebody’s short term Taha Whanau (Social Wellbeing) by preventing them from making friends while undergoing treatment. Long term it could prevent them from developing social skills if they have Leukemia in their childhood. This may make it difficult to make friends in adulthood.
This could affect somebody’s short term Taha Tinana (Physical Wellbeing) because of side effects from the treatments and their weakened immune system. Long term, chemotherapy can affect things such as fertility and cause heart problems later in life.
This could affect somebody’s short term Taha Hinengaro (Mental and Emotional Wellbeing) by making them feel isolated and lonely. Long term, a person could suffer from trauma and/or anxiety due to the experience of having cancer and going through treatments.
These affects are all negative.
My Three Questions About Leukemia
- What are the symptoms of Leukemia?
Bleeding/Bruising, Unintentional weight loss, Petechiae (small purple or red dots on the skin caused by bleeding under the skin), dizziness and shortness of breath.
2. What are the rates of survival for Leukemia?
The average 5 year survival rates for most types of Leukemia are in the low 60’s
3. What are the treatments for Leukemia?
Acute leukemia can be cured but chronic leukemia cannot. Chronic leukemia can however be managed through life long treatments. Some forms of Leukemia are monitored due to the fact that they do not need immediate treatment. Some forms do require treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and stem cell transplants
An interesting fact about leukemia is that the rate of developing leukemia has increased over the years.