The following are the most common symptoms of leukemia. However, each child may experience symptoms differently. With anemia, the child may appear tired, pale, and may breathe faster to compensate for the decrease in oxygen carrying capacity. The number of red blood cells on a blood count will be below normal. Petechia are tiny red dots often seen on the skin of a child with low number of platelets.
Petechia are very small blood vessels that have leaked or bled.
The number of platelets on a blood count will be below normal. Thrombocytopenia is the term used for a decreased number of platelets. Although there may be an unusually high number of white blood cells on a blood count of a child with leukemia, these white blood cells are immature and do not fight infection. The child may have had repetitive viral or bacterial infections over the past few weeks. The child with leukemia often shows symptoms of an infection such as fever, runny nose, and cough.