Leukopenia is a disease that is characterized by a decrease in the number of white blood cells (white blood cells) in the blood below 4000 - 5000. When it occurs, the risk of contracting an infectious disease increases significantly, and already existing pathological processes are difficult to treat.
At the beginning of a disease such as leukopenia, the symptoms are rather mild and are manifested by headaches, fatigue, weakness, and slight dizziness. Very often, they are not given proper attention, and the disease continues to develop, weakening the body. At this stage, leukopenia is most often detected by chance, during a blood test for any reason. This applies to a greater extent to those cases when the number of leukocytes decreases equally in all available fractions.
As leukopenia progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced and diverse. Among them: fever and chills, a frequent pulse, enlarged tonsils and spleen, as well as a variety of signs of joined infections. In some cases, a very rapid development of a disease such as leukopenia occurs, the symptoms may appear as follows: pneumonia, sepsis, inflammation in the oral cavity and large intestine, and sometimes a mild shock.
Leukopenia can be redistributive and absolute. Both of these varieties require special attention and long-term treatment. In addition, leukopenia are organic and functional.
The causes of this disease are many. It often accompanies diseases such as malaria, rubella, flu, tuberculosis, measles, typhoid, sepsis, etc. Leukopenia can occur due to damage to the bone marrow by various chemicals. Myelofibrosis and ionizing radiation can provoke it. In some cases, this disease develops against the background of starvation and extreme exhaustion of the body. Do not forget that predisposition to it can be inherited.
Sometimes during the course of antibiotic therapy or some other drugs, mild transient leukopenia occurs. In most cases, this does not require drug withdrawal or dose reduction, and after the end of the course, the number of white blood cells quickly returns to normal.
Unfortunately, at present, leukopenia in children is not uncommon. In this case, the sooner the disease is detected, the better. Indeed, as it develops, the body becomes more and more unprotected, and for a child it is very dangerous. Many experts explain the increase in the number of patients with such a diagnosis, including children, by the fact that a person is constantly exposed to various radiation sources, new drugs and various chemical compounds appear that are widely used by the majority of the population.
If you have leukopenia, the symptoms of which are almost not disturbing, you should not postpone contacting a specialist. The earlier treatment is started, the more favorable the prognosis. The most frequent consequence of the development of leukopenia can be considered a decrease in immunity, which is very dangerous, since a person is constantly surrounded by pathogenic infections and viruses. Modern treatment methods can dramatically improve the situation, but you should be prepared for the fact that its course will be quite long.
If any signs of infection appear against the background of leukopenia, this can be considered an emergency, even if you feel quite satisfactory. In this case, you should immediately contact the hospital, your doctor. Perhaps you will be prescribed the necessary drugs and sent for consultation with an oncologist. This should not be scared. Thus, most likely it will be possible to quickly bring the number of white blood cells to normal.