The type of cancer that affects the blood cells is called leukemia. The anomaly occurs in the bone marrow and it gradually healthy blood cells, replacing them with cancerous ones. As the cancer progresses, the patient becomes vulnerable to several types of infections as the immune system is weakened. Based on the way the cancer grows, there are different types of leukemia. Accordingly, the symptoms of different types of leukemia are also different.

Symptoms of different types of leukemia

Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Commonly found in children, this type of abrupt onset of leukemia is characterized by the abnormal growth of immature lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cells responsible for maintaining healthy immunity. It is known to be common in patients with gene-related medical conditions like Down syndrome. Here are a few warning signs of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

• Sudden weight loss or alteration in appetite
• Unexplained infections due to abnormalities in white blood cells
• Excess fatigue in young kids is often seen as a common symptom
• Sudden appearance of bruises due to malfunctioning platelets

Acute myeloid leukemia
Like ALL, this one also advances at an accelerated pace. As one of the most commonly occurring types of leukemia in adults, this occurs in the blood-forming cells that develop into white blood cells or red blood cells. AML, or acute myeloid leukemia, can occur in people with blood-related illnesses like myelodysplastic syndrome. There are some signs of AML that are similar to the common symptoms of different types of leukemia. Here are some early warning indicators.

• Skin is prone to bruising easily
• Inexplicable tiredness in adults
• Frequent nosebleeds
• Pain in the bones when the myeloid cells in bone marrow are affected
• Night-time sweats

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
While the acute type of lymphocytic leukemia is widespread in children, the chronic variant tends to occur in adults. Though several of the symptoms of CLL might align with symptoms of different types of leukemia, the fact that these signs start appearing several years after the onset of the problem is what sets it apart from ALL.

There are warning signs you need to watch out for include the following.

• Noticeable inflammation of the lymph node
• Feeling of fullness from an enlarged spleen
• Fatigue
• General weakness

Chronic myeloid leukemia
Older adults are at a higher risk of developing this type of leukemia and the onset can be gradual but steady. Mutation of the blood-forming cells to cancerous stem cells causes CML or chronic myeloid leukemia. It is one of the rarest forms of leukemia and here are a few warning signs of the same.

• Spleen enlargement
• Pain in the bones
• Sudden feeling of fullness during a meal

Most of the symptoms, irrespective of the type of leukemia, start off as mild and progresses slowly. Keeping a close watch on the high-risk people and diagnosing at an early stage can help in stopping the cancer from aggravating.