Pathophysiology
These are disorders of physiology that are related to injuries of diseases. Homeostasis is maintained by the brain, the liver, the pancreas, and the kidneys. Therefore, it is referred to as the body’s ability to regulate the inner of its environments that ensure there is stability in regards to internal and external conditions. Pathophysiology disorders are unbalanced functions in individuals because of a disease. The immune system protects hosts from the invasion of foreign organisms for survival.
Leukemia is a blood cancer found in blood and bone marrow, where this is caused by the rapid reproduction of white blood cells. The abnormal cells cannot fight infections, which leads to the bone marrow producing more red cells and platelets. This disease is seen in different forms, but it is vast in children in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is mostly seen in two to five years, where male children are more vital to the disease than females.
Pathophysiology
Leukemia is a multi-factorial condition which its etiology in children remains anonymous. Infections occur due to genetic predisposition and environmental exposures, which aids in the development of the disease. The lymphoid precursor cells in the bone marrow are disrupted where regulation and proliferation of the partitions lead to excess production of “blast cells,” which are immature. This makes a subsequent drop in the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets functioning in the body. Children that are diagnosed with trisomy 21 are at a higher risk of getting Leukemia.
Treatment of Leukemia
Leukemia has specific signs and symptoms due to deficiency in cell lines. Children often complain of back pains due to the increased pressure in the hyperplastic marrow. Weight loss is visible, and the systems of a sick central nervous system such as seizures are standard. For doctors to provide treatment options for this pathophysiology, the examination of a child is vital. The findings state that the red blood cell count was low as children look pale or they have unexplained bleeding and potentially high white blood cells since they are produced in excess.
In treating Leukemia, processes such as chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplant are used. Chemotherapy is the most common way of treating Leukemia. This is where drugs that are issued uses certain chemicals to kill the abnormal cells of Leukemia. Therefore, prescriptions are allocated according to what type of Leukemia an individual has, either through injection or pills. In biological therapy, the immune system uses treatments that recognize the abnormal cells of Leukemia hence attacking them.
Targeted therapy is where the drugs issued attacks the specific vulnerabilities that are within the abnormal cancer cells. They mainly help in controlling the disease. Radiation therapy is where X-rays damage the abnormal leukemia cells, which curbs their growth in the bodies. Therefore, machines are used in this type of treatment as they direct the radiation rays where the leukemia cells are located in the body. This treatment also aids in the preparation of stem cell transplants. As the name suggests, stem cell transplant is where a healthy bone marrow replaces the damaged, unhealthy bone marrow in the body. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy in this type of treatment are issued at high doses for the unhealthy bone marrow to be destroyed. These stem cells are mostly from donations.
The expected outcomes of this immune disorder can be highlighted as follows. This is because Leukemia is a complex immune disorder to treat. The effects are low blood cell counts where the disease makes the body reduce its production of normal blood cells such as white and red blood cells and platelets. Chemotherapy is harmful to both the cancerous cells and the blood cells. Therefore, patients may require time to a time blood transfusion during their treatment period. In addition to that, during the nursing of chemotherapy, infections may occur due to neutrophils and monocytes’ insufficiency. Chemotherapy destroys mouth and intestine linings, which can lead to the risk of diseases.
The fertility late in individuals may be affected since chemotherapy can affect a child born in the future. Therefore, as a Leukemia patient, it is advisable to talk to a fertility consultant before commencing treatment.
An interview was conducted with a Leukemia client, and the following findings were established. Firstly, the patient stated that when one learns that they are diagnosed with Leukemia, they are devastating news. Hence keeping family and friends close to you helps one to battle the blood cancer. The client learned that she had Leukemia at the age of 36, and she lived with it for two years. Typically, the disease did not change how she ran her errands, but she continued with life as usual. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the most common types of treatment she uses battling blood cancer. She further explains that the fertility consultant told her that she would acquire children since the treatment reduced fertility levels and infertile her.
The patient also said that she experienced side effects such as; mouth ulcer rashes and fatigue, followed by nausea and vomiting. Thus, this has affected her both mentally and emotionally since her health deteriorates, and she cannot continue with everyday life as before. And she finally said that she only used the chemotherapy and radiation therapy and stated that she would have a stem cell transplant if the disease persisted.
The findings were that chemotherapy was the most common way to use the treatment of Leukemia. Side effects were also visible when the treatment commenced, and the fertility doctors communicated some such as fertility rate. Furthermore, moral support from friends and family was vital to guide the patient during the treatment.