Is bleeding gums leukemia?

Written by Li Bao Hua
Dentistry
Updated on September 01, 2024
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Gum bleeding is not necessarily leukemia; it could also be gingivitis, periodontitis, or other diseases of the hematopoietic system. Gum bleeding is a common clinical symptom of gingivitis, caused by irritants like dental plaque and tartar around the teeth, keeping the gum tissue in a congested state. If persistent, this can lead to gum bleeding. This condition can be improved by dental cleaning, followed by medicated rinses around the teeth. If the situation does not improve, it may be due to periapical abscess caused by periapical inflammation of the tooth, which can also result in gum bleeding. In this case, root canal treatment is required, and once the inflammation in the root canal is controlled, the gum bleeding may alleviate on its own. If neither of these treatments is effective, it could be due to an underlying hematopoietic system disease, which would require further examination.

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Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
1min 56sec home-news-image

Chronic granulocytic leukemia etiology

Chronic granulocytic leukemia is a myeloproliferative tumor originating from multipotent stem cells. It is characterized by the translocation of chromosomes 9 and 22 forming the BCR/ABL fusion gene. The Philadelphia chromosome is a characteristic change in chronic granulocytic leukemia, first discovered and named in Philadelphia in 1960. Initially, it was observed as a deletion of the long arm of the primary chromosome in dividing blood cells of patients with this leukemia. Currently, studies have shown that abnormalities in the interaction between hematopoietic progenitor cells and the stroma might be central to treating the disease. Abnormal adhesion and anchoring characteristics of progenitor cells lead to disrupted cell maturation and proliferation. Chronic granulocytic cells do not adhere to stromal cells as normal cells do, particularly lacking integrin-mediated adhesion. Additionally, the expression of the adhesion molecule lymphocyte function-associated antigen 3 is also reduced in these cells. Therefore, the progression of the disease results from clonal changes. During the transformation of chronic granulocytic leukemia to acute myeloid leukemia, there is an increased rate of genetic mutations. Changes in gene expression during the progression involve various aspects, including nucleosome sugar metabolism, bone marrow myeloid differentiation, genomic instability of cell apoptosis genes, and processes related to DNA damage repair.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Does leukemia cause fever?

Leukemia patients do experience fever, which can be categorized into two main types: infectious fever and tumor fever. Infectious fever occurs due to the compromised resistance and lowered immunity of leukemia patients, potentially leading to various types of infections such as pulmonary infections, skin and mucous membrane infections, digestive system infections, urinary system infections, etc. Tumor fever, on the other hand, occurs in the late stages of leukemia and is caused by the abnormal proliferation of leukemia cells, leading to tumor-related fever. Typically, the temperature in tumor fever does not exceed 38 degrees Celsius, with early-stage fevers responding well to treatment, but late-stage fevers showing poorer responsiveness.

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Written by Li Fang Fang
Hematology
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Can leukemia be cured?

Leukemia is a broad category of diseases. Some leukemia patients can achieve clinical cure through oral chemotherapy or intravenous chemotherapy, while others can only achieve cure through allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Among them, chronic granulocytic leukemia can be clinically cured through oral chemotherapy due to the availability of targeted drug treatments, resulting in a longer survival period. In the case of acute promyelocytic leukemia, the advent of drugs like retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide has enabled patients to achieve clinical cure through a combination of oral and intravenous chemotherapy. However, many other types of leukemia often require allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to reach clinical cure.

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Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
1min 20sec home-news-image

Is leukemia treatment free?

Leukemia is a type of malignant tumor originating from hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells in the myeloid hematopoietic system. Leukemia cells differentiate and organize at the early stages of different myeloid developments, exhibiting the morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics of myeloid development. The incidence of acute myeloid leukemia in the population is 2-4/100,000, with the median age of onset being sixty-four to seventy years, making it a disease of the elderly. The incidence increases with age, accounting for 70% of acute leukemias, and representing 55%-70% of infant, 17%-20% of childhood, and 80%-90% of adult acute leukemias. Regarding the medical insurance situation in China, some leukemia conditions are eligible for major illness assistance. All leukemia treatments can be reimbursed at a certain ratio under the national health insurance, although there is no free treatment for leukemia at present, unless one participates in relevant clinical trials, which could offer some compensation, and certain treatment drugs are provided free of charge.

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Written by He Li Fang
Hematology
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What is leukemia?

Leukemia is a malignant tumor of the hematopoietic system that originates from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. It involves leukemia cells that have proliferative and survival advantages, proliferating and accumulating uncontrollably in the body, gradually replacing normal hematopoiesis to form pathological hematopoiesis. Furthermore, it invades other organs and systems, leading to symptoms such as anemia, bleeding, and infections, which eventually cause death. The incidence of leukemia is 4.8/100000-7.1/100000 in males and 3.2/100000-4.6/100000 in females, with significant variations in incidence, mortality rates, and distribution among different types of leukemia and various regions and ethnic groups. Early on, it was recognized that leukemia is not an inflammation, and the views that leukemia is caused by a lack of certain substances have been proven incorrect. Currently, it is understood that the causative factors of leukemia are related to infections, radiation, chemical agents, lifestyle, and genetics.