Acute myelogenous Leukemia
Has to do with the circulatory system and the immune system
Definition
Acute Myelogenous leukemia is most common in young children and teens. This type of cancer affects your blood and bone marrow. Acute Myelogenous Leukemia causes frequent nosebleeds and easy bruising, this is one of the many symptoms.
The systems of the body that AML affects
AML affects the circulatory system where the blood flows. Also the immune system tries to fight off the disease.
How the System works normally and during Leukemia
Leukemia is in the circulatory system, usually our bodies would produce a certain percentage of white and red blood cells. During Leukemia white blood cell start to reproduce rapidly.
Target population
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia is most common in young children 0-5 and teens 12-17. This disease can affect both male and female, and it does not target any specific race.
Onset
Leukemia occurs when white blood cells mutate rapidly. These blood cells that mutate rapidly are known as immature blood cells therefor they don't work like there supposed to.
Diagnosis
Doctors diagnose Leukemia by physical exams, blood tests and bone marrow tests. The physical tests consists of doctors looking at the skin, liver and the spleen for any signs of swelling. The blood tests mean that the doctor will take a sample of the patience blood. This is to check if theres an unusual amount of white blood cells or platelets. For a bone marrow test doctors will take a long thin needle and remove bone marrow from the hipbone, this is then sent to a laboratory to check for leukemia cells.
signs and symtoms
The symptoms of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia are fever or chills, persistence fatigue, weakness, frequent or severe infections, losing weight without trying, swollen liver or spleen, easy bleeding and bruising, recurrent nosebleeds, tiny red spots in your skin, excessive sweating especially at night, bone pain or tenderness.
Treatment for this disease
The treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia are as followed. Chemotherapy helps to kill leukemia cells using anti-cancer drugs. Interferon therapy is used to slow the reproduction of leukemia cells and promote the immune system's anti-leukemia activity. Radiation therapy helps to kill cancer cells by exposing high-energy radiation. Stem cell transplantation to enable treatment with high doses chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Surgery to remove an enlarged spleen or to install a venous access device (large plastic tube) to give medications and withdraw blood samples.
Prognosis
People with acute Myelogenous leukemia usually have about three years to live once diagnosed, if not treated. With treatment people may survive with this disease. Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, are the two most common types of cancers in children. These two types of cancers are 31% of all the cancers in kids life.
Connection
The connection I have with this disease is that it runs in my family on my moms side. Knowing this it made me want to learn more about this disease.