Causes of Leukemia and Risk Factors
The exact cause of leukemia is unknown. You may develop abnormal chromosomes, but it is not a risk factor. One knows exactly what causes leukemia. You are more susceptible to leukemia if you:
- Smoke
- Are exposed to a lot of radiation or certain chemicals
- Had radiation therapy or chemotherapy to treat cancer
- Have a family history of leukemia
- Have a genetic disorder like Down syndrome
Blood has three types of cells: white blood cells that protect the body from infection, red blood cells that transport oxygen, and platelets that help blood clot. Your bone marrow produces billions of new blood cells every day, and most of them are red cells. When you develop leukemia, your body produces more white cells than it needs.
These leukemia cells can’t fight infection the way normal white blood cells do. And because there are so many of them, they begin to have negative effects on your organs. After a while, you may not have sufficient red blood cells to supply oxygen, [1] enough platelets to clot your blood, or enough normal white blood cells to fight diseases.