The Different Types of Leukemia
Acute and Chronic Leukemia Disease

There are over a dozen different types of leukemia.

Leukemic types are classified according to how fast it worsens and the kind of white blood cells it affects. It can either be acute or chronic. It can also be either myelogenous or lymphocytic.

1) Acute Leukemia

It is characterized by blood-forming cells that are immature. These immature cells reproduce and accumulate very rapidly.

Urgent treatment is required for acute leukemic cells because they worsen very fast.

Acute leukemia symptoms are immediate and can make you feel sick right away. It can ravage the body within a few weeks or months.

2) Chronic Leukemia

It is characterized by blood-forming cells that are mature but are still damaged or abnormal.

It grows slowly and may not cause symptoms for years. It also affects older people more often.

Different leukemic types are also classified based on the white blood cells that are reproducing out of control. Leukemic cells can be...

a) Myelogeneous

If it's myelogenous, the abnormal white blood cells are either the bacteria-killing cells called granulocytes or the macrophage-forming cells known as monocytes.

b) Lymphocytic or lymphoblastic

If it's lymphocytic or lymphoblastic, the abnormal white blood cells are the bone marrow lymphocytes.

Most Common Types of Leukemia Cells

1) Acute Lymphoblastic or ALL

ALL leukemia is most common in children but it can also affect adults. It often happens to children aged 15 years old or younger.

Leukemic cells develop in the bone marrow, the thymus and the lymph nodes.

2) Acute Myelogenous or AML

AML develops in both children and adults but most often affects adults. Most patients are 65 years or older.

It starts with abnormalities in the granulocytes. These white blood cells stay immature and multiply too fast in the blood and bone marrow.

As the abnormal WBCs accumulate, they hinder the body's ability to fight infection and control bleeding.

3) Chronic Lymphocytic or CLL

CLL is the most common in adults, especially those who are 60 or older and is rare among children.

It affects more men than women and is the most common type in North America and Europe.

Exposure to chemicals used in agriculture is one of the causes of leukemia.

To read more about its prognosis, signs and symptoms and treatment options, see Understanding CLL Leukemic Disease.

4) Chronic Myelogenous or CML

CML happens mostly in middle-aged adults to 60 years old or above and is very rare among children.

It is the bone marrow cells that multiply uncontrollably and they do it outside the bone marrow tissue.

That is why, among the different types of leukemia, it is also known as a myeloproliferative disorder.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Try searching for it below.

Custom Search

What would you like to read next?