We hear about leukemia, but we don’t always know what it truly means. This sometimes taboo term arouses deep fears. Yet understanding the basics is already a way to regain some power over the unknown. Are you ready to lift the veil on this disturbing word together?
What exactly is leukemia?
Leukemia is a blood disease that affects the bone marrow, where our blood cells are produced. In effect, the body begins to produce too many abnormal white blood cells that don’t function properly. This leaves the body exhausted, more vulnerable, and less able to function.
There are different forms of leukemia, classified according to the rate of progression and the type of cells affected. The most common are:
- ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia)
- AML (acute myeloid leukemia)
- CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia)
- CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia)
Don’t panic: they don’t all express themselves in the same way, and some develop slowly, over several years.
Possible causes: What we know
Although the exact cause sometimes remains unclear, several factors may play a role:
