When you are informed that you have cancer, it is normal to question what might have triggered the condition.
Nobody is aware of the actual causes of leukemia.
Physicians rarely understand the reason why an individual gets leukemia but another individual does not.
Nevertheless, studies have shown that particular risk factors raise the possibility that the individual can get this ailment.
The risk factors might be numerous for various types of leukemia.
* Cigarette smoking: Cigarette smoking will increase the risk of severe myeloid leukemia.
* Benzene: Benzene is utilized extensively in the chemical sector.
It is also associated with cigarettes and gasoline.
Contact with benzene on the job may cause severe myeloid leukemia.
It might also trigger chronic myeloid leukemia as well as severe lymphocytic leukemia.
* Down syndrome and other particular inherited illnesses: Down syndrome as well as other particular inherited illnesses enhances the possibility of getting serious leukemia.
* Genealogy leukemia: It is uncommon for more than a single person in a family to get leukemia.
If it occurs, it probably involves chronic lymphocytic.
Nevertheless, just a few individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have a mother, father, sister, brother, or child that also gets the illness.
* Myelodysplastic syndrome and other particular blood ailments: Individuals with particular blood ailments are in greater danger of severe myeloid leukemia.
* Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I): An uncommon kind of leukemia referred to as adult T-cell leukemia could happen to individuals with HTLV-I infection.
Even though HTLV-I virus could cause this kind of uncommon illness, adult T-cell leukemia and other kinds of leukemia are certainly not infectious.
* Radiation: Individuals subjected to high levels of radiation are generally more likely than other individuals to have severe lymphocytic leukemia, severe myeloid leukemia, or chronic myeloid leukemia.
* Diagnostic x-rays: Some diagnostic x-rays (including CT scans) and dental x-rays expose individuals to substantially reduced levels of radiation.
It is not identified yet whether or not this particular low-level of radiation to adult or children is related to leukemia.
Analysts are researching to discover if getting several x-rays could raise the chance of leukemia.
Additionally, they are researching whether CT scans in childhood are related to elevated risk of getting leukemia.
* Chemotherapy: Cancer sufferers treated with particular types of cancer-fighting medicines occasionally get severe myeloid leukemia or severe lymphocytic leukemia afterwards.
For instance, being treated with medicines referred to as topoisomerase inhibitors or alkylating agents can be related to a little possibility of getting severe leukemia later on.
* Radiotherapy: Yet another source of exposure to substantial levels of radiation is radiotherapy for cancer or other ailments.
Radiotherapy may enhance the chance of leukemia.