The Nature of Leukemia and Blood Cells

One of the top lethal diseases in the world to day is Cancer. Cancer is known to be an undefeated illness, with no known specific medication or treatment to combat it. More over, cancer attacks almost all organs of the body, resulting to the system’s deterioration. One of the most common types of cancer is blood cancer or leukemia. Leukemia is a carcinoma of the blood that is characterized by the over production of white blood cells in the circulatory system. The blood is composed of three components: white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Formation Of Blood Cells

These three components of the blood accumulated in the bone marrow, a soft hollow tissue found at the center of major bones in the body. The three blood cells form from being stem cells or immature cells. Normal growth of blood cells take place in the bone marrow, whereas, the production of leukemia cells occur when each of their growth cycles go abnormally wrong. A major leukemia cause is the over production over production of the leukocytes, which is way too weighty than what the other blood cells produce.

The White Blood Cells

The white blood cells or leukocytes function as “anti- bodies” which help the system fight infections and protect it further from foreign invasion such as bacteria and viruses. Erythrocytes or red blood cells are equally important in carrying oxygen in the bloodstream, thus being distributed in all parts of the body. Platelets function for blood clotting, which is also an important process in the proper functioning of the circulatory system.

Main Causes Of Leukemia

Leukemia causes may vary from different sources, may it be known or idiopathic in nature. As stated above, them main cause of leukemia is the abnormal production of white blood cells, which overshadows the performance of other blood cells. When white blood cells over flow and outshine the balance of the proper functioning of the circulatory system, leukemia cells are produced. At the onset of those leukemia cells, direct diagnosis may be unidentifiable. However, as the number of leukemia cells increase in number, signs and manifestations start to show up. The causes of leukemia may also include viral infection, hereditary factors, the environment and immune system deficiencies.

Acute Leukemia And Lymphocytic Leukemia

There are two main types of leukemia that include acute and chronic leukemia. Acute leukemia causes may include an acquired damage of the DNA from other sources but not genetically inherited. The possible cause of acute leukemia is the exposure to carcinogens or substances that trigger the over production of white blood cells. Constant exposure to benzene was ruled out to be one of the main causes. However, as studies for leukemia further flourished, there are more types of leukemia which are distinctive in their own clinical manifestations. One of these distinctions is between lymphocytic and myelogenous types of leukemia. Lymphocytic leukemia causes include exposure to radiation, carcinogens, existing chronic leukemia or other blood diseases that weakened the immune system. Lymphocytic leukemia cells target the lymphocytes or white blood cells alone, while myelogenous types are fastened by the over production of white blood cells, thus affecting the bone marrows.