Contents:
- Medical Video: The Role of Red Blood Cells in Anemia
- What is agranulocytosis?
- The signs and symptoms of agranulocytosis are
- What are the causes of agranulocytosis?
- What are the treatments for agranulocytosis?
Medical Video: The Role of Red Blood Cells in Anemia
White blood cells are a part of the immune system needed to fight infections that cause disease. When we don't have enough white blood cells, the infection will become more rampant in the body. Lack of white blood cells aka agranulocytosis is a rare condition. However, the effect can be very fatal if treated late. Agranulocytosis can cause death due to infectious complications of blood called septicemia. Here are all the important information about agranulocytosis that you need to know.
What is agranulocytosis?
Agranulocytosis is a rare condition that makes the bone marrow unable to produce enough granulocytes. Granulocytes are part of white blood cells that build up the immune system. These cells contain enzymes that can kill bacteria and other organisms, and break down foreign substances that can harm the body. Without granulocytes, you are at a higher risk of getting back and forth from infection or having a chronic infection (long term).
There are many factors that can cause your bone marrow not to produce neutrophils or produce neutrophils that fail to grow into mature cells and function normally. Maybe also, some of these fators cause neutrophils to die too fast.
Normally, the number of white blood cells in the body rangesaround 1500-8000 granulocytes (neutrophils) per microliter of blood.You are said to experience agranulocytosis when your white blood cell count is less than 100 neutrophils per microliter of blood. The lower the number of neutrophils and the longer the number decreases, the greater your risk of getting a dangerous infection.
Agranulocytosis is more common in women than men, and at any age. Congenital agranulocytosis is more commonly found in children, who usually do not have a long life expectancy.
The signs and symptoms of agranulocytosis are
The common symptoms of agranulocytosis are:
- Sudden fever
- Chills
- Decreased blood pressure which causes weakness in the limbs
- Wounds in the mouth or throat
- Sore throat
- Bleeding gums
- Fatigue
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headache
- Sweating
- Swollen glands
If these symptoms continue to be left untreated, the infection can invade the blood and cause a poisoning condition known as sepsis. Sepsis can be life threatening if not treated quickly. Symptoms of sepsis that you should be aware of are fast heartbeat, rapid breathing, and decreased consciousness.
What are the causes of agranulocytosis?
Some cases of agranulocytosis are congenital genetic abnormalities, while others are a side effect of taking certain medications or medical procedures - such as chemotherapy.
Medications that can cause agranulocytosis include:
- Antithyroid drugs, such as carbimazole and methimazole (Tapazole).
- Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), dipyrone (Metamizole), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Antipsychotics, such as clozapine (Clozaril).
- Antimalarians, like quinine.
Certain problems or health conditions can also cause the body to experience a shortage of white blood cells. For example, exposure to chemicals from DDT insecticides, cancers that attack the bone marrow, serious infections, radiation exposure, autoimmune diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus), bone marrow transplantation, to malnutrition.
Agranulocytosis is more common in women than men, and at any age. Congenital agranulocytosis is more commonly found in children, who usually do not have long life expectancy.
What are the treatments for agranulocytosis?
Agranulocytosis treatment will be based on the cause. If caused by a bacterial infection, an antibiotic drug can be prescribed by a doctor to treat the symptoms. If caused by side effects of certain drugs, discuss further with the doctor who handles you for the possibility of lowering the dose or changing the type of medication. The doctor may even advise you to temporarily stop the dose of the drug.
In chemotherapy patients, doctors may recommend that they undergo granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy to encourage the bone marrow to produce more neutrophils.
Neutrophil transfusion can be a temporary treatment alternative that can be chosen for some people.
With timely treatment, agranulocytosis can be controlled and improve over time. the prospect of agranulocytosis is better. In many cases, these conditions can be managed.
