Neutrophils are the largest group of white blood cells that protect the body from a variety of infections. This type of leukocytes is formed in the bone marrow. Penetrating into the tissues of the human body, neutrophils destroy pathogenic and foreign microorganisms by the method of their phagocytosis.
The condition, when neutrophils are lowered in the blood, is called neutropenia in medicine. Usually this indicates the rapid destruction of these cells, the organic or functional disruption of hematopoiesis in the bone marrow, the depletion of the body after long-term diseases.
About neutropenia speak, if the maintenance of neutrophils in the adult person below norm or rate and makes from 1,6Х10⁹ and it is less. Reduction may be true if their amount changes in blood, and relative if their percentage decreases with respect to the rest of the leukocyte.
In this article we will consider why neutrophils are lowered in adults, and what this means, and how to increase this group of white blood cells in the blood.
What is the norm of neutrophils?
The neutrophil count in the blood directly depends on the person's age. In children under one year of age, neutrophils account for 30% to 50% of white blood cells, when the child grows, the level of neutrophils begins to increase, in seven years the amount should be from 35% to 55%.
In adults, the norm can range from 45% to 70%.In cases of abnormality, when the indicator is lower, one can speak of a reduced level of neutrophils.
Degrees of severity
Neutropenia levels in adults:
- Light neutropenia - 1 to 1.5 * 109 / L.
- Moderate neutropenia - from 0.5 to 1 * 109 / L.
- Severe neutropenia - from 0 to 0.5 * 109 / L.
Types of neutropenia
In medicine, there are three types of neutropenia:
- Congenital;
- Purchased;
- of unknown origin.
Neutrophils can periodically decline, then bounce back. In this case, we are talking about the cyclicity of neutropenia. It can be an independent disease or develop with certain diseases. Congenital benign form is transmitted by inheritance and does not appear clinically.
Classification of
Modern medicine identifies two types of neutrophils:
- The stab is immature, with a not fully formed rod-shaped nucleus;
- Segmented nuclei - have a formed core having a clear structure.
The presence in the blood of neutrophils, as well as cells such as monocytes and lymphocytes, is short: it varies from 2 to 3 hours. Then they are transported to the tissues, where they will stay from 3 hours to a couple of days. The exact time of their life largely depends on the nature and the true cause of the inflammatory process.
Reasons for reduced neutrophilof
What does this mean? In case the blood test shows that neutrophils are lowered, it is necessary to immediately begin active elimination of the cause.
These factors are:
- a long-term inflammatory process in the body;
- by severe viral infection( measles, rubella, HIV);
- generalized fungal infection;
- parasitic agents( toxoplasmosis, malaria);
- hereditary pathology( Costman's syndrome);
- by radioactive irradiation;
- chemotherapy in the treatment of oncology;
- helminths, to be more precise, the toxins released by them;
- by allergy( neutrophils are decreased after anaphylaxis);
- by the action of exogenous toxins( some poisons and chemicals);
- with some medications( chloramphenicol, zidovudine, sulfonamide antibiotics);
- by the involvement of the bone marrow by the tumor process, including metastatic.
However, judging the disease only on the basis of a single blood test is not very certain. In order to make the correct diagnosis, it is necessary not only to estimate the number of neutrophils in the blood, but also other important indicators. That is why many people believe that it is only necessary to donate blood for the proper diagnosis. But the blood counts are indirect. Moreover, only in the presence of this analysis and without examination of the patient it is difficult to determine what exactly a person became ill with helminths or rubella.
Segmented neutrophils are reduced, and lymphocytes are increased
If segmented neutrophils are lowered and lymphocytes are increased, the causes of this condition can be:
- viral diseases;
- HIV;
- tuberculosis;
- thyroid problems;
- lymphatic leukemia;
- lymphosarcoma.
Thus, it can be concluded that if lymphocytes are elevated and neutrophils are lowered, then in the body there is a foci of infection, most likely a viral infection. However, the results of the blood test should be compared with the clinical picture.
If there are no signs of disease, it may be a case of carrying the virus. With a decrease in the level of granulocytes with a simultaneous increase in lymphocytes, a complete examination is required, since such dangerous pathologies as hepatitis and HIV are not ruled out.
Treatment of
It should be understood that there are no direct means to increase neutrophils in adults. For them, the same conditions apply as with lowered leukocytes as a whole. If there is a marked deviation from the norm, the doctor should take measures to promptly eliminate the cause of the pathology.
If the neutrophils in adults are lowered due to the drug therapy being taken, the physician should make a correction of the treatment regimen, up to the replacement or complete withdrawal of drugs that inhibit the production of neutrophils.
In some cases, the cause is the imbalance of nutrients, and then the task is to correct the background of B group vitamins( in particular B9 and B12) with the help of drugs or a diet. As a rule, after elimination of the provoking factor, the neutrophil count returns to normal within 1-2 weeks.