Neutropenia: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Neutropenia is a condition where the blood contains too few neutrophil granulocytes (a type of white blood cell). It is often used to denote low white cell counts in general, as neutrophils generally make up 80% or more of the white blood cells.

Signs and symptoms

Neutropenia can go undetected, but is generally discovered when a patient has developed severe infections or sepsis. Some common infections can take an unexpected course in neutropenic patients; formation of pus, for example, can be notably absent, as this requires circulating neutrophil granulocytes.

Low neutrophil counts are detected on a full blood count. Generally, some other investigations are required to arrive at the right diagnosis. When the diagnosis is uncertain, or serious causes are suspected, bone marrow biopsy is often necessary.

Causes can be divided into the following groups:

• Decreased production in the bone marrow:
  • hereditary disorders (e.g. congenital neutropenia, cyclic neutropenia)
  • cancer
  • certain medications
  • radiation
  • Vitamin B₁₂ or folate deficiency.
• Increased destruction:
  • Aplastic anemia
  • autoimmune neutropenia.
  • Chemotherapy
• Marginalisation and sequestration:
  • Hemodialysis

There is usually a mild neutropenia in viral infections.

There is no ideal therapy for neutropenia, but recombinant G-CSF (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor) can be effective in chemotherapy patients and some other causes.