Common Causes
Leukopenia is a low white blood cell (leukocyte) count that indicates a decrease in disease-fighting cells in your body. Leukopenia can indicate a variety of health complications, including serious infections, diseases, and cancer. Leukopenia can involve one or more types of white blood cells and may include neutropenia, monocytopenia, and more.
Related Conditions
A person who develops an infection of the spleen can also experience chronic leukopenia. Leukopenia refers to a reduced number of total white blood cells. A person with leukopenia can have a reduction in any type of white blood cell. Neutropenia is a type of leukopenia.
What is leukopenia and what does it mean?
In many cases, leukopenia is part of a larger disease process that contributes to severe illness or death. Some examples include leukemia and genetic disorders that harm the production of white blood cells. Leukopenia alone is not usually listed as a cause of death, but it is a contributor to death in some cases.
Can a person with leukopenia have neutropenia?
White blood cells help fight infection in the body. A person with a low white blood cell count is more likely to contract an infection. Leukopenia usually involves a lack of neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell. Medical practices can differ in how they define a low white blood cell count.
Is leukopenia a cause of death?
What is the difference between low white blood cells and leukopenia?
Is leukopenia genetic?
Leukopenia may be caused by diseases, medications, and genetic deficiencies.
Can you be born with leukopenia?
Congenital disorders are present at birth. The ones that can lead to leukopenia include conditions that affect how bone marrow works to make blood cells, such as: Kostmann syndrome, or severe congenital neutropenia. myelokathexis.
What is leukopenia caused by?
Leukopenia is a low white blood cell count. This condition may accompany underlying diseases and lead to complications, such as infections. Common causes of leukopenia are medications (especially chemotherapy), bone marrow disorders, blood cancer, and some infections.
When should I worry about leukopenia?
Leukopenia that develops acutely should prompt an evaluation for drug-induced agranulocytosis, acute infections, or acute leukemia. Leukopenia that develops over weeks to months should prompt an evaluation for a chronic infection or primary bone marrow disorder.
What does leukopenia indicate?
A low white blood cell count (leukopenia) is a decrease in disease-fighting cells (leukocytes) in your blood. Leukopenia is almost always related to a decrease in a certain type of white blood cell (neutrophil). The definition of low white blood cell count varies from one medical practice to another.
Is leukopenia a leukemia?
Cancer: Leukemia cells can force out the cells in the bone marrow that make normal blood cells. This can lead to leukopenia.
Is low white blood count serious?
If the neutrophil count is very low, fewer than 500 neutrophils in a microliter of blood, it is called severe neutropenia. When the neutrophil count gets this low, even the bacteria normally living in a person's mouth, skin, and gut can cause serious infections.
What medications cause leukopenia?
Among the drugs that can cause leukopenia are antithyroid drugs, chemotherapy agents, antimetabolites, phenothiazines, antihypertensives, antihistamines, monoclonal antibody drugs, antivirals, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and alkylating agents.
What foods to avoid if you have low white blood cells?
If you have neutropenia, you should avoid raw meat, eggs and fish, moldy or expired food, unwashed or moldy fruit and vegetables, and unpasteurized beverages, including fruit and vegetable juice, beer, milk, as well as unpasteurized honey. Fruits and Vegetables should be washed thoroughly before you eat them.
How do you fix low white blood cell count?
Doctors treat a low white blood cell count using: Antibiotics to treat any infections. Medicines to push your body to make more white blood cells. Treatment for any diseases that may be causing the count to be low.
Can leukopenia be cured?
Your treatment options will vary depending on what is causing leukopenia. Treatments include: Discontinuing treatment that causes low white blood cell counts – Can include medications, chemotherapy or radiation. Growth factor therapy – Treatment derived from bone marrow that can stimulate white blood cell production.
Is leukopenia life threatening?
Leukopenia isn't painful or an event that is dangerous on its own, but it increases your risk of developing a severe, possibly life-threatening condition.
What medications cause leukopenia?
Among the drugs that can cause leukopenia are antithyroid drugs, chemotherapy agents, antimetabolites, phenothiazines, antihypertensives, antihistamines, monoclonal antibody drugs, antivirals, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and alkylating agents.
What foods to avoid if you have low white blood cells?
If you have neutropenia, you should avoid raw meat, eggs and fish, moldy or expired food, unwashed or moldy fruit and vegetables, and unpasteurized beverages, including fruit and vegetable juice, beer, milk, as well as unpasteurized honey. Fruits and Vegetables should be washed thoroughly before you eat them.
Which disease is more likely to cause leukopenia?
Infectious diseases: Examples include HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis. According to a 2015 study, women with tuberculosis are more likely to develop leukopenia than men.
What causes leukopenia in the bone marrow?
Causes. There are several medical conditions that cause leukopenia by interfering with the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow. Other conditions cause leukopenia by destroying white blood cells rather than affecting their production. Leukopenia may also be the result of some treatments and medications.
What is the difference between leukopenia and neutrophils?
However, they refer to slightly different conditions. Leukopenia is an umbrella term that refers to a reduction in any of the white blood cell types. Neutropenia is a type of leukopenia but refers specifically to a decrease in neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell. A person’s neutrophil count is an important indicator ...
Why are leukocytes important?
Leukocytes are a vital part of the immune system. People who have leukopenia have fewer white blood cells than they should. This makes them more likely to get infections. This article explores the effect leukopenia has on the body, what causes it, and the treatment options available.
What is the condition where a person has a reduced number of white blood cells?
Leukopenia is a condition where a person has a reduced number of white blood cells. This increases their risk of infections. A person’s blood is made up of many different types of blood cells. White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, help to fight off infection. Leukocytes are a vital part of the immune system.
Why do doctors check white blood cells?
A doctor will regularly check a person’s white blood cell count if they have a condition known to cause leukopenia. Getting regular blood tests helps leukopenia to be identified early and treated before it leads to complications. Last medically reviewed on December 13, 2017. Lymphoma.
How many types of leukopenia are there?
There are five kinds of leukopenia, each one corresponding to the type of white blood cell that is affected.
What causes leukopenia?
A number of conditions can cause leukopenia. These can include autoimmune diseases and conditions that weaken the immune system, such as hepatitis and HIV infection. Radiation therapy for cancer and antipsychotic medications can also lower your WBC count.
Why do people have low WBC?
Primarily, these are people who have a compromised immune system because of a disease, age, or a genetic condition, such as: 3
What does it mean when your WBC is low?
Leukopenia occurs when your white blood cell (WBC) count is low. White blood cells are a vital part of your immune system. They help fight off pathogens in your body. Typically, the condition doesn't present with any distinct symptoms, but a low WBC count can increase the risk of infections. You may not notice that you have leukopenia until you become sick and develop symptoms of an infection.
Why is my WBC count higher?
If you aren't getting better after some treatment and some time, your doctor may order a test to count your white blood cells. It's typical to see a higher WBC count while your body is fighting a bacterial infection, but your WBC count often goes down with a viral infection.
What is considered low WBC?
A white blood cell count of less than 4,500 cells per microliter of blood is considered low. If you're known to have a low white blood cell count, your doctor will monitor you and advise you on ways to prevent infections. 3 In some cases, your WBC can fluctuate as your body tries to overcome infection. 4
Can leukopenia cause fever?
Leukopenia, which is having a low white blood cell count, usually doesn't cause any symptoms, and you won't know you have the condition until your doctor checks your WBC count with a blood test. However, leukopenia increases your risk of infections, and you will have symptoms if you develop one. They can include fever, chills, body aches, and headaches. A severe infection that can develop is sepsis, which is characterized by widespread inflammation in your body. If you have signs of an infection, contact your doctor right away.
Can a low white blood cell count cause a death?
In some cases, your low white blood cell count can progress to a severe, even life-threatening infection. Sepsis is a severe, possibly fatal infection that occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to fight an infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 1.7 million Americans develop sepsis each year, and about 270,000 die from the infection. 6
Why is leukemia considered a genetic disease?
Leukemia is a genetic disease because it is related to a person’s DNA, which is the material that carries genetic information. DNA determines the development, growth, and function of their bodily cells.
Why do people get leukemia?
Sometimes, parents pass along certain genetic mutations or inherited conditions that increase a child’s risk of developing leukemia. Certain factors, such as environment, exposure to chemicals, and lifestyle, contribute to genetic mutations that result in abnormal DNA. However, in most cases, these mutations occur for no known reason.
What is familial acute myeloid leukemia?
Familial acute myeloid leukemia is an inherited form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). People who have familial AML may have altered CEBPA genes.
Why do people inherit genetic risk factors?
People can inherit genetic risk factors, or a person’s genes can change because of environmental triggers. Mutations of the Philadelphia chromosome transform stem cells into white blood cells. This genetic mutation does not run in families, but it may increase the risk of chronic myeloid leukemia.
What type of mutations are found in AML?
The authors of a 2019 study found that certain gene mutations, specifically FLT3-ITD and NRAS mutations, frequently appear in people who have AML-M5, a type of AML that forms in immature white blood cells.
What are the factors that increase the risk of leukemia?
Environmental and lifestyle factors, such as exposure to toxic chemicals and smoking, can raise a person’s risk of leukemia. People can take steps to lower their risk by understanding their family history and making healthful life choices. Last medically reviewed on May 30, 2019. Genetics. Leukemia.
Which group of people has the most leukemia?
CDC data suggest that leukemia occurs most often in white people, followed by Hispanic and black people.
Which is more likely to develop leukemia in men or women?
Men are slightly more likely than women to develop all four types of leukemia.
Why do people get leukemia?
Some of these risk factors are in your control, others aren’t. Scientists think the various types of leukemia are caused by mutations in the DNA of your blood cells. These genetic mutations change the way the blood cells in your bone marrow reproduce.
What chemicals are linked to leukemia?
Frequent exposure to some chemicals increases the risk of AML, ALL, and CLL. One of the main chemicals that has been linked to leukemia is benzene. Benzene is found in: gasoline. oil refineries. shoe manufacturing plants. the rubber industry. chemical plants.
How many types of leukemia are there?
Leukemia has slightly different risk factors depending on the type. The four types of leukemia are:
Why do mutations occur during your lifetime?
The mutations can take place during your lifetime as errors occur in cell production. They can also be caused by environmental factors. These environmental factors include exposure to radiation or certain chemicals.
What is it called when you have a mutation in your genes?
This is called an acquired gene mutation. It’s not always known what causes these mutations.
Can you get leukemia from T cell?
It’s important to note that even for people who have some of these risk factors, most won’t get leukemia.
How many genes have been discovered for hereditary leukemia?
These efforts have paid off. Of these dozen or so genes, about nine of them have been discovered since 2013. We’ve found that these genes can cause different types of leukemia and related conditions, ...
What are the different types of leukemia?
We’ve found that these genes can cause different types of leukemia and related conditions, including AML, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL).
Why do we test for leukemia?
We do this procedure because with leukemia, the cancer is actually in the blood. If you tested the blood, you’d see the genetic alterations of the disease itself. We have to get a source of DNA that’s not altered by the cancer to see a leukemia patient’s inherited genes.
Why do we recommend genetic counseling?
For these family members, we recommend genetic counseling so they can learn about their own cancer risks, cancer screenings and other health issues connected to the syndrome. Some family members may also choose genetic testing to see if they carry the genetic mutation.
Can hereditary leukemia be passed down?
Certain genetic changes, or mutations, can increase a person’s chances of developing cancer. These changes, known as hereditary cancer syndromes, can be passed down from parent to child.
Is lenalidomide good for leukemia?
We know that certain drugs are potentially more likely to work for people with certain syndromes. The chemotherapy drug lenalidomide, for example, may be particularly effective for people with mutations in the gene DDX41. Where it makes the biggest difference is in patients undergoing a stem cell transplant. Patients with some hereditary leukemia syndromes may benefit from a different combination of medications given as part of their transplant.
Is leukemia hereditary?
Based on that, it seems that at least 5% of all leukemia may be hereditary. The number among pediatric patients is likely higher.
What is the significance of white blood cell count?
The white blood cell count represents clinical data linked with different pathologic conditions, as well as with lifestyle. Another very important condition that affects the number of leukocytes is race and ethnic group-the geographic zone of origin. Genetic studies have identified the gene that controls the expression of ...
Can white blood cells be different between ethnic groups?
Currently, it is the only condition that can explain the difference in white blood cell count between different ethnic groups. In a society increasingly characterized by multiracial issues, the leukopenia and/or neutropenia in ethnic groups must be known and accurately assessed clinically. Improved knowledge of this association may help in ...
