12 Signs Of Leukemia In Children – I’m A Mom

Unfortunately, leukemia is present in the lives of many children today. It is a type of cancer that affects children more often and is therefore known as childhood leukemia. Although it is very difficult for children suffering from this disease, successful treatment is available and therefore the disease does not necessarily lead to death. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 children, ages 3 to 5 for the most part, are diagnosed with childhood leukemia in just one country. Leukemia in children affects the formation of white blood cells in the bone marrow. These abnormal cells move through the bloodstream which also passes through healthy cells.

As a result, the body’s ability to fight viruses decreases, which increases the child’s chances of contracting various infections and other illnesses.

Signs of Leukemia in Children

It is difficult to diagnose leukemia in children because its symptoms usually appear slowly (except in acute leukemia whose symptoms appear suddenly) and because when they do appear they are confused with symptoms of other normal childhood illnesses. 

The signs of leukemia in children differ depending on the child, which can make identifying the disease even more complicated.

Leukemia cells cluster around healthy cells that produce platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells, which begin to decrease in numbers in the body. On the other hand, leukemia cells spread to other regions of the body affecting the health of the little one. However, these same symptoms can be caused by other illnesses, so it is important to quickly inform your doctor of these signs to treat the illness as soon as possible.

1. Tiredness. The child starts to get tired quickly, due to anemia that is caused by the shortage of red blood cells. This scarcity also leads to a feeling of weakness and paleness of the skin.
2. Fever and infection. The child has fevers that do not respond to common medications.
3. Excessive bruising and bleeding. Because leukemia reduces the blood platelets in the body, the child may have a lot of small red spots or bruises all over the skin, due to bleeding from the damaged blood vessels. The child may have nosebleeds and frequent gum bleeds.
4. Pain in bones and joints can be leukemia in children. Leukemia cells usually cluster around a joint and around the surface of bones. Therefore, a child with leukemia can usually complain of joint and bone pain.
5. Swelling in the belly.  A child with leukemia may also have an enlarged or swollen abdomen or belly. This is actually due to the swollen liver and spleen, because of the leukemia cells lodged in the liver.
6. Weight loss and appetite. A child with leukemia may lose hunger and thus gradually lose a lot of weight due to the expansion of the liver and spleen. The enlarged region puts pressure on other surrounding organs, including the stomach, thus limiting the ability to receive food.
7. Inflammation of the lymph nodes. Children’s lymph nodes often swell when fighting an infection, so this swelling is often a sign of infection. In leukemia, the lymph nodes also enlarge and the swelling appears as lumps under the skin.
8. Breathing problems and coughing. A child with leukemia may suffer from breathing problems and coughing.
9. Swelling in arms and face. Swelling in the child’s arms and face is a very dangerous sign as it can be fatal. So she needs immediate treatment.
10. Seizures, headaches and vomiting. These are signs of advanced leukemia such as headaches, blurred vision, vomiting and seizures. These signs reveal that the leukemia has reached the central nervous system.
11. Bleeding of the gums and rashes. When leukemia spreads through the skin, it causes a large number of small spots, similar to the rashes, to appear all over the skin.
12. Extreme weakness. When the amount of leukemia cells in the body reaches a high number, blood flow is slower in the small blood vessels in the brain because the leukemia cells make the blood thicker and this leads to extreme fatigue and a feeling of weakness.