Common causes of low white blood cell counts

The medical term for a low white blood cell count is leukopenia. Perhaps the best known cause are the acute and chronic leukemias. However there are at least thirty known causes of a lowered white blood cell count. Some of these are quite common. Others are rather rare. There are ones that are relatively mild and those that are very serious.

However since this on the more common etiologies I will concentrate on the more well known, prevalent conditions.

These diseases include aplastic anemia, bone marrow failure, ideopathic myelofibrosis (scarring of the bone marrow), Gaucher disease type 3, AIDS, SARS, Spleen disorders, Vitamin Deficiency Cancer chemotherapy ( side effect), Lupus, Typhoid fever.

Some of the above, illnesses leukapenia is the main symptom.In others its one of many symptoms. Low white blood cells is only part of the disorder.

Bone marrow is the spongy part of the interior of the bone where the main three components of the blood are produced from the hematopoietic cells. Hematopoietic cells are stem cells that are the origins of the major parts of one's blood. These are the red blood cells (corpuscles), white blood cells and platelets. Since I am writing only on leukapenia I will focus only on the white blood cells.

The fact that the WBCs originate in the bone marrow is the reason for some of the causes dealing with this part of one's body. These include aplastic anemia, bone marrow failure, melofibrosis, the leukemias. The first three mentioned include one thing in common. That is low counts of WBCs, RBCs and platelets. The differences are myelofibrosis includes the same characteristics and scarring of the bone marrow. Bone marrow failure can be part of several syndromes. Many of them are genetic. Some of these are Fanconi's Anemia, Schwachman Diamond Syndrome, Severe Congenital Neutropenia. Neutropenia means low neutrophils. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell and lastly absent Thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Fanconi's anemia's characteristics are exactly the same as aplastic anemia. This is because Fanconi's anemia is an example of congenital form of this condition. It is considered a rare disorder by the US Offfice of Rare Disorders. ORD is part of the National Institute of Health(NIH). There needs to be less then two hundred thousand cases in the US for it to be considered a rarity. National Organization of Rare Disorders notes its rarity too. The symptoms include low white blood cells. Somebody with Fanconi's Anemia is subject to infections due to leukopenia. There are other symptoms but they are irrelevant here. It is genetically recessive. That is both parents need to carry the genes. It strikes individuals of nearly every ethnicity. Schwachman Diamond syndrome is. Severe congenital neutropenia is from birth, low neutrophil count.

Schwachman Diamond Syndrome is a rare disorder too. A major difference between SDS and FA is the former includes pancreatic insufficiency.

One commonality of these disorders syndromes is that each of them include bone marrow failure. This isn't terribly surprising since its the bone marrow where with other blood components the white blood cells are produced.

Chemotherapy that is medications to fight various cancers can cause low white blood counts. This is somewhat ironic to me when used for leukemias. Since some leukemias present with low white blood cell counts to begin with. Luckily its the norm for the bone marrow to eventually recover back to normal. the rate and how long this takes depends on the person. This means that the patient needs to be under excellent medical and nursing care in order to prevent as much as possible, complications due to low WBCs. This means a completely sterile room. Everyone in the room wearing a hospital gown, gloves and if needed a surgical mask. Plus if needed, prescriptions to fight infections.

The leukemias are considered both blood and bone marrow cancers. Some people who are leukemic possess an overabundance of white blood cells. While others a very low count. There are acute and chronic types. Acute means fast growing. Chronic means slow growing. These types can be further divided into lymphatic and myeloid. Lymphatic refers to a certain type of white blood cell, lymphocyte. Myeloid means it comes from myeloid type cells. Myeloid is its beginning was in the bone marrow or spinal cord.

Lastly lowered white blood cell counts can be part of Lupus and Typhoid fever. Lupus is an auto immune disease that is a form of arthritis that can effect every human system. Typhoid is a now rare disease that is characterized by reduced appetite, headaches, general aches, fever, severe diarrhea and lethargy.

To sum it up, there are many causes of reduced white blood cells. Most are to do with the bone marrow. Fortunately many are treatable and even curable.