NEUTROPENIA

Course overview

NEUTROPHILS PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN IMMUNE DEFENSES BECAUSE THEY INGEST, KILL, AND DIGEST INVADING MICROORGANISMS, INCLUDING FUNGI AND BACTERIA. FAILURE TO CARRY OUT THIS ROLE LEADS TO IMMUNODEFICIENCY, WHICH IS MAINLY CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESENCE OF RECURRENT INFECTIONS. DEFECTS IN NEUTROPHIL FUNCTION CAN BE QUANTITATIVE, AS SEEN IN NEUTROPENIA OR QUALITATIVE, AS SEEN IN NEUTROPHIL DYSFUNCTION. THE STANDARD CIRCULATING NEUTROPHIL COUNT IS ABOVE 1.5 X 10/L. NEUTROPENIA CAN BE CLASSIFIED IN ASYMPTOMATIC (MILD), MODERATE, AND SEVERE, AND THUS, THE PROGRESSION TO INFECTION CONCERNING THE NUMBER. NEUTROPENIA, WITH DECREASED PRODUCTION WITH MARROW HYPOPLASIA, CAN BE PRIMARY AND DUE TO CHRONIC BENIGN NEUTROPENIA, CYCLICAL NEUTROPENIA, AND OTHER CONGENITAL AND FAMILIAL NEUTROPENIAS. IT CAN BE SECONDARY TO CYTOTOXIC DRUGS, APLASTIC ANEMIA, LEUKEMIA, DRUG REACTIONS, AND INFECTIONS. NEUTROPENIA, WITH INCREASED DESTRUCTION WITH MARROW HYPERPLASIA, IS DUE TO HYPERSPLENISM AND IMMUNE NEUTROPENIA. SECONDARY CAUSES ARE THE COMMONEST. FOR EXAMPLE, NEUTROPENIA CAUSED AS A SIDE EFFECT OF CHEMOTHERAPY FOR MALIGNANCIES. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT/PREVENTION OF NEUTROPENIA, AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.