Patients with leukemia have low resistance and are more susceptible to infections than the general population. Infections occur mainly at the site of contact with the outside world, and patients often develop lung infections, upper respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, intestinal infections, and perianal infections; a significant proportion of patients also have low immune function, and bacteria invade the bloodstream and grow and multiply leading to bacteremia.
A large proportion of white blood cells in leukemia patients are tumor cells, which are poorly differentiated proto-naive cells, without the immune capacity of normal white blood cells to resist bacteria and viruses, so although the numbers look good, they basically have no ability to protect the body against infection, and are the main reason why leukemia patients are susceptible to infection.
On the other hand, patients with bone marrow suppression and leukopenia after regular chemotherapy, even to granulocyte deficiency, are also very susceptible to severe infections. When granulocyte-deficient infections occur, the patient’s repeated use of broad-spectrum antibiotics can also lead to fungal infections, so many patients develop rapidly progressive fungal infections of the lungs.
So when leukemia patients are clearly diagnosed and treated, doctors give mouthwashes and perineal cleansing lotions to prevent respiratory, anal, and urinary tract infections.