Symptoms of Leukemia

List of symptoms of Leukemia:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Leukemia includes the 43 symptoms listed below:

• No early symptoms - especially in the early stages of chronic leukemias, which do not worsen quickly.
• Fever
• Chills
• Flu-like symptoms
• Anemia - see also symptoms of anemia:
  • Paleness
  • Weakness
  • Fatigue
  • Tiredness
  • Shortness of breath
• Bleeding easily
• Bruising easily
• Nosebleeds
• Digestive bleeding
• Frequent infections
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Symptoms from collection in lymph nodes, liver and/or spleen:
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Tender lymph nodes
  • Swollen liver
  • Tender liver
  • Swollen spleen
  • Tender spleen
• Tiny red spots (petechiae) under the skin
• Swollen gums
• Bleeding gums
• Sweating
• Night sweats
• Bone pain
• Joint pain
• Symptoms from collection of cells in the brain or CNS:
  • Headaches
  • Vomiting
  • Confusion
  • Loss of muscle control
  • Seizures
• Swollen testicles
• Eye sores
• Skin sores
• Digestive symptoms
• Kidney symptoms
• Lung symptoms

Note that Leukemia symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Leukemia signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Leukemia

Do I have Leukemia?

• Leukemia: Introduction
• Leukemia: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Leukemia
• Failure to Diagnose Leukemia
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Leukemia
• More about Leukemia

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Leukemia:

• Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing
  • Home Colorectal Cancer Tests
  • Home Fecal Occult Bleeding Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Leukemia?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Leukemia includes:

• Flu
• Anemia
• Lymphoma

• Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome
• Bleeding disorders

See the full list of 8 alternative diagnoses for Leukemia

More about symptoms of Leukemia:

More information about symptoms of Leukemia and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Leukemia
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Leukemia
• Underlying causes of Leukemia
• Associated conditions for Leukemia
• Risk factors for Leukemia

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Anemia - see all causes of Anemia
• Bleeding easily - see all causes of Bleeding symptoms
• Bleeding gums - see all causes of Bleeding gums
• Bone pain - see all causes of Bone pain
• Bruising easily - see all causes of Bruising
• Chills - see all causes of Chills
• Confusion - see all causes of Confusion
• Digestive bleeding - see all causes of Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Digestive symptoms - see all causes of Digestive symptoms
• Eye sores - see all causes of Eye symptoms
• Fatigue - see all causes of Fatigue
• Fever - see all causes of Fever
• Flu-like symptoms - see all causes of Flu-like symptoms
• Headaches - see all causes of Headache
• Joint pain - see all causes of Joint pain
• Kidney symptoms - see all causes of Kidney symptoms
• Loss of appetite - see all causes of Poor appetite
• Loss of muscle control - see all causes of Loss of muscle control
• Lung symptoms - see all causes of Lung symptoms
• Night sweats - see all causes of Night sweats
• No early symptoms - see all causes of No symptoms
• Nosebleeds - see all causes of Nosebleeds
• Paleness - see all causes of Paleness
• Seizures - see all causes of Seizures
• Shortness of breath - see all causes of Shortness of breath
• Skin sores - see all causes of Skin sores
• Sweating - see all causes of Sweating
• Swollen gums - see all causes of Swollen gums
• Swollen liver - see all causes of Enlarged liver
• Swollen lymph nodes - see all causes of Swollen lymph nodes
• Swollen spleen - see all causes of Swollen spleen
• Swollen testicles - see all causes of Swollen testes
• Tender liver - see all causes of Liver pain
• Tender lymph nodes - see all causes of Lymph symptoms
• Tender spleen - see all causes of Spleen symptoms
• Tiny red spots (petechiae) under the skin - see all causes of Red spots
• Tiredness - see all causes of Tiredness
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting
• Weakness - see all causes of Weakness
• Weight loss - see all causes of Weight loss

Medical Books Online about Leukemia

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Full text. Free access without registration. The full text of published medical book chapters related to Leukemia is available from published medical books for more detailed information about Leukemia.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Related videos for Leukemia

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Symptoms of Leukemia: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review the full text of medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Leukemia.

Acute leukemia: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Signs of acute leukemia are sudden onset of high fever accompanied by thrombocytopenia and abnormal bleeding, such as nosebleeds, gingival bleeding, purpura, ecchymoses, petechiae, easy bruising after minor trauma, and prolonged menses. Nonspecific signs and symptoms, such as low-grade fever, weakness, and lassitude, may persist for days or months before visible symptoms appear. Other insidious signs and symptoms include pallor, chills, and recurrent infections. In addition, ALL, AML, and acute monoblastic leukemia may cause dyspnea, anemia, fatigue, malaise, tachycardia, palpitations, systolic ejection murmur, and abdominal or bone pain. When leukemic cells cross the blood-brain barrier and thereby escape the effects of systemic chemotherapy, the patient may develop meningeal leukemia (confusion, lethargy, headache).

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

CLL is the most benign and the most slowly progressive form of leukemia. Clinical signs derive from the infiltration of leukemic cells in bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, and organ systems.

In early stages, patients usually complain of fatigue, malaise, fever, and nodal enlargement. They're particularly susceptible to infection.

In advanced stages, patients may experience severe fatigue and weight loss, with liver or spleen enlargement, bone tenderness, and edema from lymph node obstruction. Pulmonary infiltrates may appear when lung parenchyma is involved. Skin infiltrations, manifested by macular to nodular eruptions, occur in about one-half of the cases of CLL.

As the disease progresses, bone marrow involvement may lead to anemia, pallor, weakness, dyspnea, tachycardia, palpitations, bleeding, and infection. Opportunistic fungal, viral, and bacterial infections commonly occur in late stages.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Leukemia, acute: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Signs and symptoms of acute leukemia are the sudden onset of high fever accompanied by thrombocytopenia and abnormal bleeding, such as nosebleeds, gingival bleeding, purpura, ecchymoses, petechiae, easy bruising after minor trauma, and prolonged menses. Nonspecific signs and symptoms —  such as low-grade fever, weakness, and lassitude — may persist for days or months before visible signs appear.

Other insidious signs and symptoms include pallor, chills, and recurrent infections. In addition, ALL, AML, and acute monoblastic leukemia may cause dyspnea, anemia, fatigue, malaise, tachycardia, palpitations, systolic ejection murmur, and abdominal or bone pain. When leukemic cells cross the blood-brain barrier and thereby escape the effects of systemic chemotherapy, the patient may develop meningeal leukemia, characterized by confusion, lethargy, and headache.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Leukemia, chronic granulocytic: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Typically, CGL induces these signs and symptoms:

❑ anemia (fatigue, weakness, decreased exercise tolerance, pallor, dyspnea, tachycardia, and headache)

❑ thrombocytopenia, with resulting bleeding and clotting disorders (retinal hemorrhage, ecchymoses, hematuria, melena, bleeding gums, nosebleeds, and easy bruising)

❑ hepatosplenomegaly, with abdominal discomfort and pain; splenic infarction from leukemic cell infiltration.

Other signs and symptoms include sternal and rib tenderness from leukemic infiltrations of the periosteum; low-grade fever; weight loss; anorexia; renal calculi or gouty arthritis from increased uric acid excretion; occasionally, prolonged infection and ankle edema; and, rarely, priapism and vascular insufficiency.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Leukemia, chronic lymphocytic: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most benign and the most slowly progressive form of leukemia. Signs and symptoms derive from the infiltration of leukemic cells in bone marrow, lymphoid tissue, and organ systems.

Early stages

In early stages, patients usually complain of fatigue, malaise, fever, and nodal enlargement. They’re particularly susceptible to infection, which may be fatal.

Advanced stages

In advanced stages, patients may experience severe fatigue and weight loss, with liver or spleen enlargement, bone tenderness, and edema from lymph node obstruction. Pulmonary infiltrates may appear when lung parenchyma is involved. Skin infiltrations, manifested by macular to nodular eruptions, occur in about one-half of the cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

As the disease progresses, bone marrow involvement may lead to anemia, pallor, weakness, dyspnea, tachycardia, palpitations, bleeding, or infection. Opportunistic fungal, viral, and bacterial infections commonly occur in late stages and result in fatal septicemia.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Leukemia:

Leukemia cells are abnormal cells that cannot do what normal blood cells do. They cannot help the body fight infections. For this reason, people with leukemia often get infections and have fevers.

Also, people with leukemia often have less than the normal amount of healthy red blood cells and platelets. As a result, there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body. With this condition, called anemia , patients may look pale and feel weak and tired. When there are not enough platelets, patients bleed and bruise easily.

Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel through the body. Depending on the number of abnormal cells and where these cells collect, patients with leukemia may have a number of symptoms.

In acute leukemia, symptoms appear and get worse quickly. People with this disease go to their doctor because they feel sick. In chronic leukemia, symptoms may not appear for a long time; when symptoms do appear, they generally are mild at first and get worse gradually. Doctors often find chronic leukemia during a routine checkup -- before there are any symptoms.

These are some of the common symptoms of leukemia:

• Fever, chills, and other flu-like symptoms;

• Weakness and fatigue;

• Frequent infections;

• Loss of appetite and/or weight;

• Swollen or tender lymph nodes , liver , or spleen ;

• Easy bleeding or bruising;

• Tiny red spots (called petechiae ) under the skin;

• Swollen or bleeding gums;

• Sweating, especially at night; and/or

• Bone or joint pain.

In acute leukemia, the abnormal cells may collect in the brain or spinal cord (also called the central nervous system or CNS). The result may be headaches, vomiting, confusion, loss of muscle control, and seizures . Leukemia cells also can collect in the testicles and cause swelling. Also, some patients develop sores in the eyes or on the skin. Leukemia also can affect the digestive tract , kidneys , lungs, or other parts of the body.

In chronic leukemia, the abnormal blood cells may gradually collect in various parts of the body. Chronic leukemia may affect the skin, central nervous system, digestive tract, kidneys, and testicles. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Leukemia: NCI)

Leukemia as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Leukemia, it is also important to consider Leukemia as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Leukemia may cause:

• Lactate dehydrogenase levels raised (plasma or serum)
• Pyoderma gangrenosum
• Raynaud's phenomenon
• Roth spots
• Urate levels increased (urine)
• Uric acid levels raised (plasma or serum)

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Leukemia
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Leukemia
• How serious is Leukemia?
• More about Leukemia
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Leukemia:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Leukemia. This signs and symptoms information for Leukemia has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Leukemia signs or Leukemia symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Leukemia may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Leukemia symptoms.