Agranulocytosis is a condition when bone marrow fails to form granulocytes. Granulocytes are mostly made up of neutrophils, which are white blood cells that work to fight infection. The body that lacks granulocytes or neutrophils will be susceptible to infection.
In normal conditions, bone marrow forms 1,500 blood neutrophils / microliters. In agranulocytosis, the absolute number of neutrophils counts <100 neutrophils / microliters of blood. When the neutrophil count is low, a mild infection can develop into a serious infection. Harmless microbes or germs can be harmful to the body.
Agranulocytosis is a fairly serious condition. If not treated immediately can result in sepsis and death.
The symptoms.
- Fever.
- Limp.
- Headache.
- Shivering.
- Sweating.
- Redness around the face.
- Sore throat.
- Sprue that does not improve.
- Bleeding gums.
- A boil appears on the skin.
Increasingly severe infections can result in :
- Tachycardia.
- Breath becomes fast.
- Low blood pressure (hypotension).
Cause.
Agranulocytosis can occur due to birth defects (congenital) or side effects of disease, medication and medical procedures.
Congenital agranulocytosis is caused by a rare genetic disorder, namely Kostmann's syndrome. This disorder is inherited from children of parents.
70% of agranulocytosis cases are related to drug use:
- Antipsychotics.
- Antimalarians.
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Anti-thyroid.
Other causes :
- Autoimmune conditions (lupus and rheumatoid arthritis).
- Diseases that attack the bone marrow (aplastic anemia, leukemia and myelodisplasia syndrome).
- Hepatitis.
- HIV.
- Chemotherapy.
- Bone marrow transplantation.
- Exposure to chemical compounds (arsenic or mercury).
Diagnosis.
- Physical check.
- Complete blood cell count check.
- Absolute neutrophil count checks to check the total blood cell count, especially white blood cells. The blood test results are used for the next diagnosis. Bone marrow aspiration examination.
- Bone marrow biopsy, which is taking blood and tissue samples from the bones of the pelvic region.
Bone marrow is a place where blood cells are produced. If a genetic disease is suspected, the doctor will conduct a genetic check.
Treatment.
Infections that occur in agranulocytosis are treated using antibiotics. Antibiotics are given based on the severity of the infection.
Some recommended drugs according to the causes of agranulocytosis :
- Granulocytecolony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) hormon injects hormones that stimulate bone marrow to produce more granulocytes. G-CSF injection is given by injection under the skin (subcutaneously) in agranulocytosis patients due to chemotherapy drugs. An example of G-CSF is filgrastim.
- Immunosuppressants ➡ if agranulocytosis is caused by an autoimmune condition. Examples of immunosuppressants are corticosteroids.
- Bone marrow transplantation.
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