Chronic myelogenous leukemia is a serious disease in which certain cells in the bone marrow of a person are reborn and become malignant. In this case, a huge amount of pathologically altered granulocytes is produced in the blood. This dangerous disease can affect people of absolutely any age. But according to official statistics, the ailment is rarely registered in children under 10 years old.
In the early stages, chronic myelogenous leukemia is very difficult to detect, since the disease is not accompanied by any specific symptoms. In some cases, patients complain of general fatigue, loss of appetite and weight. At night, sweating appears, the temperature rises. The severity and discomfort in the abdomen are noted, as a rule, this is caused by pathological changes in the spleen. An enlarged lymph node is also recorded . If you do not pay attention to the first unclear symptoms, then, unfortunately, it is impossible to detect the disease at the first stage.
This is also the cunning of chronic myelogenous leukemia. The reasons for untimely treatment are also hidden in the latency of the course of the disease. Later symptoms of the disease already clearly indicate a pathological process. The patient's condition deteriorates sharply. The number of platelets and erythrocytes in the blood drops. Skin becomes pale, small blood vessels easily injured. Subcutaneous hemorrhages and extensive hematomas are noted. Enlargement of lymph nodes is more pronounced. On the skin of the patient, nodules are formed, they are filled with leukemic granulocytes. This symptom is especially alarming and should be the right signal for contacting a specialist doctor.
In general, chronic myelogenous leukemia affects the bone marrow, liver and spleen. Most granulocytes are formed in these organs. In humans, in normal analysis, cells are identified at all stages of maturity. With acute myelogenous leukemia, only immature forms are found. Pathological (malignant) granulocytes displace normal cells from the bone marrow. This in most cases leads to the formation of a constantly expanding connective tissue, which replaces the bone marrow. At the stage of acceleration, as the disease progresses, the body receives less and less mature cells. Thrombocytopenia and anemia develop. Sometimes chronic myelogenous leukemia progresses due to the fact that granulocytes undergo additional changes, and then the risk of developing a blast crisis develops. In this case only immature granulocytes are produced from the degenerated stem cells. The course of the disease with blast crisis is exacerbated.
Diagnosis of chronic myelogenous leukemia is carried out using a standard blood test. It is able to detect a multiple increase in the number of leukocytes. For a more accurate diagnosis, chromosome research is used. This method practically always reveals the presence of chromosomal translocations with a high percentage of accuracy.