This Thursday the Italian media Corriere della Sera reported that the former president Silvio Berlusconi, who has spent the night admitted to the San Raffaelle hospital in Milan (Italy) suffers from leukemia.
What is leukemia?
It is known as leukemia to the type of cancer of the blood-forming tissues. Leukemia begins in the bone marrow, the soft tissue found inside the bones.
The meaning of leukemia is “White blood” and usually involves white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting disease. There are different types of leukemia, some more frequent in children and others typical of adults.
Depending on the speed of its evolution, we can classify leukemia into acute, which have a rapid evolution, and chronic, which is slow and progressive. However, depending on the types of white blood cells where it proliferates, it can be differentiated into: myeloid leukemia, lymphoid leukemia, or other types of leukemia.
What are your causes?
Although the causes of leukemia are generally unknown, some diseases have been linked to the development of this disease. One of them history of this disease in some relative
He smoking It is one of the risk factors for leukemia, in addition to exposure to radioactive substances or toxic substances. People with Down syndrome and those with a blood disease called myelodysplastic syndrome are also more likely to develop leukemia.
What are the symptoms of leukemia?
Los symptoms They vary depending on the type of leukemia. At a general level, according to the prestigious mayo clinic the most common include:
- Fever or chills
- Persistent fatigue, weakness
- Frequent or severe infections
- weight loss without trying
- swollen lymph nodes, enlarged liver or spleen
- Bleeding and bruising easily
- recurrent nosebleeds
- Small red spots on the skin (petechia)
- Hyperhidrosis, especially at night
- Pain or tenderness in the bones
How is it treated?
Leukemia can be treated numerous ways depending on the type of leukemia, the age and health of the patient or the degree of extension.
Some of the most common treatments are chemotherapywhich uses chemicals to kill leukemia cells or radiotherapywhich uses high energy to damage malignant cells and stop their growth.
The immunotherapywhich consists of using the immune system to fight the disease, targeted drug therapy, or bone marrow transplantation are other medical treatments to combat this blood disease.