2024-02-20 23:30:00
Health Research Institute | Blood cancer patients are susceptible to severe infections that can change in a short period of time. Strong antibiotics are prescribed to prevent the condition from getting worse.
In the post-epidemic era, when everyone is finally able to take off their masks and live their lives, herd immunity has declined, and many people are more susceptible to diseases than before. For patients with blood cancer, daily life needs to be maintained step by step. Because cancer cells make patients’ immunity weaker than that of ordinary people, they are susceptible to infection and unable to fight once morest bacteria that invade the body. As a result, the condition can deteriorate rapidly in a short period of time. Dr. Zhan Chusheng, a specialist in hematology and hematological oncology, pointed out: “Even if the patient’s symptoms are mild, infection may be life-threatening. Powerful antibiotics that can kill most bacteria need to be prescribed immediately.” Otherwise, the patient may be in poor condition while waiting for further treatment. worsen, or even fall into critical condition.
Cancer and treatments weaken immunity Vulnerable to infection but unable to fight back
Blood cancers can be roughly divided into three types, namely leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. They turn into cancer due to the mutation or proliferation of the body’s hematopoietic cells or lymphocytes. All three will cause the patient’s immunity to decline and easily cause complications. The human body has different white blood cells with different functions. For example, neutrophils are like patrolling guards, fighting once morest bacteria that invade the body. In patients with leukemia and lymphoma, the number of neutrophils is greatly reduced due to the disease itself and treatment respectively. Increased risk of infection.
Dr. Zhan said: “In the bone marrow of patients with acute leukemia, 90% of them are bad cells, and there are almost no neutrophils to fight once morest foreign enemies.” Although the basic number of neutrophils in patients with lymphoma is not too low, following receiving chemotherapy, The number of neutrophils will be greatly reduced, making the patient vulnerable to bacterial invasion and unable to fight back.
The immunity of patients with myeloma will also be weakened, but the most affected ones are lymphocytes. Dr. Zhan said: “If the number of lymphocytes is too low, it will be difficult to produce immune globulin to fight the virus, making it more susceptible to viral infection. Therefore, myeloma patients often suffer from “snake symptoms”, and they are more likely to become seriously ill if infected with the new coronavirus. “
The condition can worsen to severe within hours Mild symptoms require strong antibiotics
Because the immunity of blood cancer patients is lower than that of ordinary people, they are unable to fight once morest bacterial infection. If the bacteria enter the blood, the bacteria will obtain nutrients from the blood, causing the disease to develop rapidly in a short period of time, possibly causing sepsis and diffuse vascular embolism. Severe cases may require hospitalization in an intensive care unit. Dr. Zhan mentioned: “Leukemia patients are easily life-threatening once they are infected. Some patients have lost their lives within a few hours, so we need to ensure that the treatment is foolproof as soon as possible.” Even if the patient’s symptoms are mild, the doctor will draw blood first. A “bacteria” test is performed to determine which bacteria “attack” the patient. Powerful antibiotics are also prescribed to prevent the patient’s condition from worsening or even endangering his life.
Pay attention to immunity in daily diet
Precisely because patients with leukemia have poor immunity, they may get infected and get sick if they are not careful. Therefore, they need to pay more attention to their daily life and diet. For example, they should avoid going to densely populated places and avoid eating uncooked food, such as sushi. , salad, sun-cooked eggs, etc. It is also recommended to peel fruits before eating them, and then soak them in boiling water to reduce the possibility of bacterial infection.
The above information is provided by Dr. Zhan Chusheng
Dr. Zhan Chusheng, Specialist in Hematology and Hematology Oncology
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