If am to toss back to that heart breaking moment, it could be 14th June 2001 when my elder brother succumbed to leukemia, the next year Victor – a close pal and college followed my brother’s path only to be befallen by the sad news that the one I was acquainted to, and a friend, brother, course mate to many – Iga Martin had too fallen prey to leukemia. This silent assassin is slowly stealthily chewing young souls (According to JNCI J National Cancer Institute journal, “Two Year Survey of Hematologic Malignancies in Uganda” leukemia is a mildly growing haematological concern with the children and teen section affected most. Leukemia accounts for 40% of the cancer cases registered at the Mulago Cancer Institute with large numbers of the patients registered children.)
What the heck is Leukemia?
So it’s only human that after losing a friend, friends and family to this dreadful disease, we all wonder what really causes this leukemia or where the hell did he or she the socially calm teenager acquire it from. According to Doctor Kigongo of Nsambya hospital, Leukemia is simply blood cancer in the lay man’s tongue. When the bone marrow of a person makes too many immature white blood cells called blasts, these blasts cause a drop and death of the other components of the blood i.e. red blood cells, platelets then the normal white blood cells too.
The types of leukemia are categorised as either acute or chronic. In chronic the abnormal blood cells multiply gradually and can take time before the victim notices he is diagnosed with leukemia while in acute the number of blasts increase rapidly, and the disease gets worse quickly. The body consists of two main blood cells; lymphoid or myeloid cells. When leukemia affects lymphoid cells, it is called lymphocytic leukemia. When myeloid cells are affected, the disease is called myeloid leukaemia. Thereby giving rise to the four types of leukaemia Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) with ALL and AML prominent amongst teenagers.
But What Really Causes Leukemia?
Many theories and ideas have been promulgated about what causes leukemia but have all been deemed as unknown facts without evidence and labelled as speculative causes. Ideas presented are; being overweight or obese is a possible risk to acquiring leukemia, exposure to low frequency electromagnetic fields like from mobile phones and home electrically induced appliances have been suggested to cause leukemia. But studies on potential hazards posed by these appliances have been negative and inconclusive though it is not to suggest there isn’t a link between the two. Masturbation, kissing and skin colour have been too included as potential causes.
The proved risk factors being:
Life style practices like cigarette and shisha smoking have been associated with leukemia. Smoking is attributed to risk as few studies according to Leukemia Research Foundation show that there was an increase risk of lymphoid leukemia amongst cigarette smokers but most show a relationship to myeloid types. Genetics correlating with family predisposition; an inherited disorder like Fan coni anemia, Down syndrome and inherited immune system problem such as ataxia telangiectasia is a risk factor or having a family background with people who suffered from the same ordeal. Immune suppression due to previous organ transplants may be associated with immune suppressive drugs which have been implicated in secondary leukemia. Exposure to high intensities of ionizing radiation for example from previous doses from radiotherapy and AIDS causing virus HIV has been too linked to leukemia.
Signs and Symptoms
Fever and night sweats, headaches, coughing, difficulty in breathing, bruising and bleeding, bone and joint pains, swollen belly, swollen lymph nodes in armpits, neck or groin extreme fatigue and weakness have be tagged as symptoms of leukemia. Disclaimer! Since many diseases share the same symptoms, it would necessitate you seeking a thorough medical check up so as to verify if whatever symptoms felt are those of leukemia. …
and the cure?
Leukemia may have been described 150 years ago; substantial advances in tracking of cases, classification and diagnosis may have been done but a one way ticket treatment hasn’t yet been discovered. Chemotherapy and bone marrow transplant has been offered as a solution to the disease though a patient will still undergo regular check up even when in remission. Teenage leukemia patients while on treatment undergo drastic changes like loss of hair, mouth sore development causing low self esteem. This calls for ultimate supportive and palliative care from friends and family who show them that they too are still important beings of the community and worthy the love of all. And lastly the most important it’s God who gives and takes so prayer is the master class here for miracles do happen if you have faith.
