n WHO GETS LANGERHANS CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS? Both children and adults can develop LCH. An estimated 1 in every 100,000 children younger than 15 years old will be diagnosed with LCH each year. In children younger than 2 years old, LCH usually affects multiple parts of the body and causes the child to become extremely ill. In older children, LCH is typically milder and may cause only bone or skin lesions.
n IS LANGERHANS CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS INHERITED? LCH experts do not think that LCH is inherited. However, in a few rare cases, more than one family member has been diagnosed with LCH. No specific gene has been linked to the development of LCH.
n IS LANGERHANS CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS A FORM OF CANCER? LCH is a result of abnormal cell behavior in the immune system and behaves like inflammation that has gotten out of control. Although LCH has some cancer-like characteristics, such as uncontrolled growth, it is not a cancer. However, chemotherapy is often used to treat LCH. Chemotherapy decreases immune system activity, including the overactivity of abnormal Langerhans cells. n WHAT ARE SOME SYMPTOMS OF LANGERHANS CELL HISTIOCYTOSIS? Symptoms of LCH vary, depending on which parts of the body are affected. Bones Bone lesions are the most common sites of LCH. LCH often develops in the skull, but bones in the legs, ribs, hips, jaw, spine, and arms can be affected as well. Symptoms can include swelling and pain in the affected area, headaches or tender spots if there are lesions in the skull, and limping if there are lesions in the legs or hips. Fractures can occur for no apparent reason if tumors are present in weight-bearing bones, such as the legs or spine. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and the bone lesion is discovered accidentally when an X ray is taken for a different reason. Doctors often describe an X ray of a bone lesion as looking “punched-out” because the bone looks as though a cookie cutter punched out a hole in the bone. Skin LCH skin lesions typically appear as a rash that does not respond to usual treatments. The rash may show up in the diaper area, on the scalp, behind the ears, or on the trunk of the body. LCH skin rashes can be mistaken for cradle cap or diaper rash and often persist for months before the diagnosis is made.
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