Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Symptoms, Complaints, Signs

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is usually discovered incidentally by lymphocytosis (elevated lymphocyte count) as part of a complete blood count (differential blood count) performed for other reasons.

The following symptoms and complaints may indicate chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL):

  • Fatigue, tiredness
  • Fever*
  • Night sweats* (nocturnal sweating)
  • High susceptibility to infection
  • Hemorrhagic diathesis (bleeding tendency)
  • Pale skin color
  • Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
  • Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement) – these feel coarse and painless; lymph enlargement always occurs during the course of the disease
  • Skin involvement:
    • Chronic urticaria (hives).
    • Erythroderma (redness (erythema) of the entire skin organ).
    • Pruritus (itching)
  • Hepatosplenomegaly (enlargement of the liver and spleen).
  • Swelling of the parotid gland (parotid gland).
  • Unwanted weight loss*

B-symptomatics

  • Unexplained, persistent or recurrent fever (> 38 °C).
  • Severe night sweats (wet hair, soaked sleepwear).
  • Unwanted weight loss (> 10% percent of body weight within 6 months).

In more than two-thirds of all cases, the disease is asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis, meaning no symptoms are present. CLL is usually discovered incidentally during a routine blood test.