If you are regularly waking up with your bed sheets drenched in sweat, you should certainly get it checked by a GP. Night sweats that occur due to leukaemia will usually be experienced alongside other symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss or excessive bruising.
Some signs of leukemia, like night sweats, fever, fatigue and achiness, resemble flu-like symptoms. Unlike symptoms of the flu, which generally subside as patients get better, leukemia symptoms generally last longer than two weeks, and may include sudden weight loss, bone and joint pain and easy bleeding or bruising.
However, frequent and excessive night sweating, accompanied by other symptoms like fever, fatigue, bleeding, and weight loss, may indicate an underlying medical condition such as leukemia. Leukemia affects the production of blood cells, including the white blood cells, which are important for fighting off infection.
Many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.
The fatigue felt by people with cancer is different from the fatigue of daily life and different from the tired feeling people might remember having before they had cancer. People with cancer might describe it as feeling very weak, listless, drained, or “washed out” that may decrease for a while but then comes back.
People with blood cancer may need more sleep because of the changes happening in the body, and the mental toll of the diagnosis. However, some people may find that because they are doing less each day, that they need less sleep at night. Feeling tired during the day can be a sign that you need more sleep at night.
Waking up often due to night sweats may be caused by underlying health issues, like medication side effects, infections, or hormone changes. Talk to your doctor if you have consistent night sweats for help determining the cause.
Earliest signs of leukemia
Often, the initial symptoms closely resemble those of the flu, but unlike flu symptoms, they then do not go away.
Stage 1 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and enlarged lymph nodes. Stage 2 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and is anemic. He or she may also have enlarged lymph nodes. Stage 3 – A patient has high levels of white blood cells and is anemic.
Acute leukemia symptoms can often appear suddenly
With acute leukemia, symptoms tend to develop very quickly. You may suddenly spike a fever that won't go away, develop an infection for no apparent reason, or start bleeding spontaneously from your nose or gums and not be able to stop it.
Causes of leukaemia
The cause of acute leukaemia is unknown, but factors that put some people at higher risk are: exposure to intense radiation. exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene. viruses like the Human T-Cell leukaemia virus.
Some leukemia symptoms, such as fever, vomiting, fatigue, aches and night sweats often resemble the cold, flu or other common illness. If symptoms don't go away at a normal pace (1-2 weeks), or you notice a combination of these symptoms at one time, make an appointment with your doctor for a diagnosis.
"If you're regularly waking up soaked in sweat, experiencing sudden night sweats accompanied by weight loss or if your night sweats are keeping you from getting quality sleep, it's time to talk to your doctor."
(DREN-ching …) Episodes of excessive sweating that occur during sleep and soak a person's bedclothes and bed sheets, which may cause the person to wake up.
'Sleeping' cancer cells explain why childhood leukaemia returns after years of treatment. Image: deformed cells in the bone marrow, typical of leukaemia. Leukaemic cancer cells can 'go to sleep' and thus avoid the effects of chemotherapy, sometimes for years.
Whether you're living with or after leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or any other blood cancer: You're not alone – Fatigue is a common symptom of blood cancer and a side effect of treatment. It's more than just tiredness – It can affect you mentally and physically, and can hit even when you're well-rested.
Leukemia can spread to the central nervous system
Leukemia cells can spread to the central nervous system and build up in the fluid surrounding the spine and the brain. This can cause symptoms like headaches, seizures, balance problems, and abnormal vision.
Is fatigue a sign of cancer? Fatigue may develop as a symptom of blood cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, because these cancers start in the bone marrow, which produces red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
Dr Lee also explained why cancerous pain is often more obvious at night. "When you lie down, this changes the weight distribution of the tumour and surrounding tissues, [potentially causing pain]," she said.
Sometimes symptoms affect specific areas of the body, such as our tummy or skin. But signs can also be more general, and include weight loss, tiredness (fatigue) or unexplained pain. Some possible signs of cancer, like a lump, are better known than others.