Symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia

Most of the symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia are due to the effects of the leukaemia cells in the bone marrow, which leave it unable to produce enough normal blood cells.

The main symptoms are:

• Looking pale, feeling tired and breathless, which is due to anaemia caused by a lack of red blood cells.
• Having more infections than usual, because of a lack of white blood cells.
• Unusual bleeding, caused by too few platelets. This may include bruising easily without any obvious cause, bleeding gums, frequent nosebleeds, and heavy periods in women. Some people have a rash of tiny, flat red spots on the skin of the legs or in the mouth. These are called petechiae.
• Feeling generally unwell and run down.
• Having a fever and sweats. This may be due to an infection or to the leukaemia itself.

Other, less common, symptoms may be caused by a build up of leukaemia cells in a particular area of the body, such as:

• Aching bones, caused by pressure from a build up of immature cells in the bone marrow.
• Raised bluish-purple areas under the skin - due to leukaemia cells in the skin.
• Swollen gums, caused by leukaemia cells in the gums.

Occasionally, a person has no symptoms and the leukaemia is discovered during a routine blood test.

The symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia may appear over a few weeks, and people often feel ill quite quickly. Treatment needs to be given as soon as possible. If you have any of the above symptoms you should have them checked by your doctor - but remember, they are common to many illnesses other than leukaemia.