Leukopenia: causes, treatment and types of disease

Lymphogranulomatosis, neutropenia, leukopenia, monocytosis - all these fairly common diseases bind only one thing - pathological changes at the level of white blood cells. In this article, we will consider in detail only one option from this list.

Leukopenia is a pathological condition that is characterized by a violation at the level of hematopoiesis of white blood cells. Unfortunately, recently the prevalence of this disease is growing. How is this explained?

What is leukopenia in adults?

This is a special pathological condition, which implies a low content of white blood cells in the blood, when their number falls below the level of 3.7X10 ⁹ / L. This situation indicates a decrease in the production of leukocytes directly in the bone marrow. This can be the result of various kinds of disorders and diseases.

Reduced leukocyte count in the blood is very often observed without any deterioration of the patient's condition. On the other hand, a change in immunity in this disease often leads to the emergence of various infectious ailments. Rapid fatigue, chills with a simultaneous increase in temperature, dizziness - all these symptoms allow you to suspect a diagnosis such as leukopenia. The causes of such clinical signs may remain unknown for a long time. The final diagnosis can be confirmed only by a blood test.

What should I know about leukocytes?

White blood cells are continuously formed in the bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen. They constantly circulate in the circulatory system. The total number can be calculated using a special analysis.

Normally their number varies from 4.0 to 8.0 X ^{10 9} per liter of blood. Increased content is called leukocytosis. Most often this way the body reacts to the existing inflammatory process. The thing is that it is the leukocytes that kill all foreign cells.

Reducing the number of white blood cells is called leukopenia.

Depending on the presence within the cells of granularity, doctors call two types of leukocytes:

1. Granulocytes: eosinophils (up to 5%), basophils (up to 1%), neutrophils (40-70%).
2. Agranulocytes: lymphocytes (20-45%), monocytes (3-8%).

A simple recount indicates that granulocytes account for more than half of the total composition, with 90% of them neutrophils.

Otherwise they are called phagocytes. Specialists called them so because they are distinguished by the ability to destroy microorganisms.

Thus, it is necessary to distinguish between the elevated white blood cell content and the decreased content. It is the latter that is called leukopenia.

Causes

Treatment of this disease is impossible until the doctor will not know exactly the main cause, which caused leukopenia. Otherwise, the wrong therapy will be prescribed, and the disease will continue to progress.

Experts call a great number of factors provoking the development of this disease. However, most often this is a violation of the functioning of the bone marrow, in which oppression of neutrophil synthesis is observed due to:

• Repeated exposure to ionizing radiation (frequent and prolonged x-ray studies, radiation sickness);
• Infectious diseases (HIV, septic diseases, herpetic infection);
• Long-term use of certain groups of drugs (antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sulfonamides);
• Poisoning with toxins and household poisons;
• Deficiency of B vitamins and some trace elements;
• Dysplastic and neoplastic lesions of the bone marrow itself, which are also the cause of leukopenia (leukemia, metastatic lesions, etc.).

According to experts, the rapid destruction of the so-called granulocytes is due to:

1. Autoimmune destructive processes in the body.
2. The use of chemotherapy.
3. Delays of leukocytes in the apparatus on the background of hemodialysis.

Clinical manifestations

At the initial stage of the development of the disease, obvious signs of leukopenia are almost always absent. The patient may have headaches, weakness, dizziness. As a rule, no one pays attention to these signals, however, the clinical picture at this time continues to change rapidly. Against the background of a weakened organism, infection often occurs, which is accompanied by:

• Migraines;
• Fever;
• Chills;
• Rapid pulse.

Quite often there are lesions of the mucous GIT in the form of numerous ulcers and erosions, blood infections, inflammatory processes in the oral cavity.

Attention should also be paid to the peculiarities of the course of the disease. All infectious processes in the body occur several times heavier. For example, a slight irritation on the skin can lead to phlegmon. Very often after chemotherapy, spleen, liver and intestinal cells are affected. Any infection in this case becomes dangerous for the patient's life. Due to the analysis of blood, as a rule, not only leukopenia is detected. Thrombocytopenia, for example, almost always inevitably develops against the background of oppression of platelet production.

What is dangerous for this disease?

Persistent leukopenia, according to doctors, leads to a decrease in immunity and a simultaneous increase in sensitivity to many infections and oncological ailments, which often entails a fatal outcome. The extreme manifestations of the disease are the following: agranulocytosis, neutropenia and aleukia. In this case, the body almost completely ceases to produce certain types of leukocytes.

Classification

Reduction of the level of white blood cells is often temporary. As is known, the causes of leukopenia in adults are often hidden in the intake of certain medications (Biseptol, Analgin). After the end of the effect of the damaging factor, all the symptoms pass. Here we are talking primarily about the so-called transitory leukopenia. It is found during the next blood test and does not have any serious health consequences.

A longer response specialists are divided into the following types:

• Acute (up to three months);
• Chronic (more than three months).

Such conditions often cause suspicion of agranulocytosis and always require a more detailed examination.

Also, the disease of leukopenia is divided into:

• The primary form (occurs due to a violation of the synthesis of neutrophils);
• Secondary form (there are factors that oppress the habitual hematopoiesis).

Based on the degree of decrease in the number of leukocytes, the diagnosis can be indicated by three options:

• Light degree - 1,5Х10 ⁹ / l (complete absence of complications);
• Average - from 0,5 to 1,0Х10 ⁹ / l (there is a risk of infectious complications);
• Severe - up to 0.5X10 ⁹ / L (agranulocytosis with severe manifestations).

It is according to the latest classification that leukopenia is most often shared. The degree of development of this pathological condition depends solely on the probability of infection.

Diagnostics

To confirm this disease, the doctor gives the patient a general blood test. According to its results, it is possible to judge the presence of ailment. Then, as a rule, a consultation with a therapist and even a hematologist is appointed. On it the doctor tells, that represents disease of a leukopenia, the reasons of occurrence of the given pathological condition. It is important to note that if the specialist does not know what factors triggered the development of the disease, there may be difficulties in prescribing therapy and its subsequent effectiveness.

Principles of treatment

First of all, the patient is placed in a separate ward. Doctors and other health workers must necessarily treat their hands with an antiseptic, use gauze dressings and change into sterile gowns. In the ward itself cleaning is carried out using disinfectants, bactericidal lamps are used.

How to treat leukopenia? In the case of a moderate variant of the disease, the following drugs are prescribed: "Leukogen", "Batilol", "Pentoxil". In the event of bacterial complications, when skin lesions appear, from the first days antibiotics of a wide spectrum ("Tseporin", "Ampicillin", "Gentamicin") are recommended.

Leukopenia after the course of chemotherapy is treated with medicines obtained through genetic engineering (preparations "Lenograstim", "Sargrastin", "Filgrastim").

It is important to note that it will take quite a long time to finally overcome such an ailment as leukopenia. The causes of the disease, as already noted above, are often hidden in the deficit of certain vitamins and trace elements. That is why during the treatment it is necessary to pay special attention to the appropriate diet.

Beneficial to the maturation of new cells and the synthesis of hemoglobin products rich in folic and ascorbic acid. The daily diet must necessarily consist of a variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs and berries. It is recommended to eat porridge from rice, buckwheat and other groats.

As you can see, the diet is not very strict, but some products still have to be abandoned. This group includes fatty meat, sweet soda, fast food.

In the case of infectious infection, a therapy is prescribed, consisting mainly of drugs that do not affect the bone marrow itself. Mandatory use of vitamins, immunomodulators, transfusion of platelet and leukocyte mass. In especially severe cases, doctors resort to the removal of the spleen. Operative intervention is appointed in the event that its role in destruction of leukocytes has been proved.

Possible consequences

Modern medicine distinguishes different types of leukopenia, the classification of which primarily depends on factors contributing to a sharp decline in the number of white blood cells. However, regardless of the type of disease, all necessary measures should be taken immediately to combat it. If treatment is not scheduled in time, there is a high probability of complications, and life-threatening patients.

Many, seeing a blood test, do not know what is actually threatened with leukopenia. Most believe that the negative consequences can be caused solely by those diseases that provoked a sharp decline in white blood cells. In fact, such an opinion is wrong. Leukopenia weakens the protective functions of the body. Absence of excellent immunity often leads to the fact that the presence of the most banal bacterial infection in the body can become an emergency situation. Moreover, with leukopenia, the risk of acquiring a neoplastic disease almost doubles. Also, the possible consequences of this pathological condition include agranulocytosis and aleukia (bone marrow damage).

Prophylaxis and prognosis

Very often, after oncological diseases , leukopenia develops. After chemotherapy, the treatment and prevention of this ailment primarily involve an accurate selection of the dosage of the drugs. It is important to note that this depends not only on the experience of doctors, but also on the capabilities of specialized devices. That is why the maximum target effect is used for radiotherapy. Mortality in the case of leukopenia in cancer patients does not exceed 30% of all cases.

Particular attention is paid to the individual approach to the treatment of patients in polyclinics. When appointing these or other medications the doctor must necessarily take into account the presence of intolerance of certain components, compatibility of drugs, concomitant ailments. Here a special role belongs to independent treatment and following the advice of relatives and relatives. Any therapy should be prescribed only after a diagnostic examination, as well as a consultation with a specialist.

In this article, we are as detailed as possible about what constitutes leukopenia. The causes of this disease can be very different, from the lack of certain vitamins and ending with serious lesions of the bone marrow. In any case, only competent therapy can help in the fight against this ailment. Be healthy!