Leukemia is the cancer of the bone marrow; it is a genetic disease but they are most often not thought to be hereditary. According to scientists, the various types of leukemia are caused due to mutations in the DNA of the blood cells. These genetic mutations cause changes in the way that blood cells in the bone marrow reproduce. Moreover, they prevent the blood cells from functioning properly. This causes the healthy blood cells to be pushed out by the abnormal blood cells and they block the bone marrow from further producing healthy cells.

The mutations in leukemia are genetic but not usually hereditary because this condition is caused by genetic abnormalities that are not often inherited from the family. This is also known as an acquired gene mutation. The cause of these mutations is not always known. Even though a person may be genetically predisposed to developing leukemia, some lifestyle factors such as smoking cigarettes could also lead to developing leukemia. Environmental factors like radiation and exposure to some chemicals could also be the reason behind the DNA abnormalities that cause leukemia.

Although leukemia is generally not considered a hereditary disease, there is an increased risk of developing chronic lymphocytic leukemia if there is a close family member who already suffers from leukemia. Close family members medically defined as the first-degree family would mean the father, mother, and siblings. People with identical twins who developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) even before the age of 12 months also have a greater chance of getting this type of leukemia.

Having certain genetic disorders increase the risk of developing acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and ALL. These conditions are

• Klinefelter Syndrome
• Fanconi Anemia
• Down Syndrome
• Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
• Bloom Syndrome
• Ataxia-Telangiectasia
• Neurofibromatosis

Men are slightly more likely to develop all four types of leukemia than women, i.e., AML, ALL, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL). The risk of developing AML and CLL often increases with age. According to research, certain groups of people are more likely to develop some types of leukemia than others. People of European descent have an increased risk of CLL, while leukemia is rare in people of Asian descent.

Due to the lack of healthy blood cells when suffering from leukemia, the patient would experience symptoms like weakness, fever or chills, unexplained weight loss, nighttime sweating, frequent nose bleeds and occasional rashes and bruises on the skin. Sometimes, depending on the type of leukemia, they may notice tiny red spots on the skin known as petechiae. They are caused by tiny broken blood vessels known as capillaries that are found under the skin. Usually, the disc-shaped cells in the blood known as platelets help the blood to clot, but in people who suffer from leukemia, the body does not have enough platelets to seal off the broken blood vessels. As the various types of leukemia affect the white blood cells, frequent infections are an indication of something more serious.