My teacher and I are trying to figure out the reason for why those with acute lymphoblastic leukemia would bruise so easily. Of course this isn't the only leukemia, but this one was the easiest to find research and information on. So far, we have this:
1. Definition of bruising (to start the ball rolling)
2. reasons for excessive bruising ( which began to lead to leukemia anyway)
3. research leukemia (definitions, reasons)
about here, we learned about the differences. The easy bruising can be caused by a low platelet count, and leukemia patients have this and a high white blood cell count. So, the (sorry, no quotes)website says that the white blood cells "crowd out" the normal cells, but does not go into deeper detail pertaining to the reduced platelets. Here is the problem.
We can find nothing else connecting leukemia to the low platalets. The information fades out the science and moves on to treatment methods. So, what exactly causes the low platelet count? Does the marrow stop focusing on the platelets and pay attention to making operational white blood cells? And in chronic leukemia patients, why would they begin to bruise more as they age (or as the disease progresses)? Is it the white blood cell count, or does the real problem lie in the marrow only?
