Table of contents:
- What is agranulocytosis?
- What are the symptoms of agranulocytosis?
- What are the causes of agranulocytosis?
- What are the complications that can arise from this condition?
- What are the treatments for agranulocytosis?
- 1. Treat the cause
- 2. Other treatment
Agranulocytosis is a rare condition that occurs when you are deficient in granulocytes. If left untreated, this condition can lead to death from a blood infection called septicemia. What exactly are granulocytes? What is the cause? Check out the following explanation.
What is agranulocytosis?
Before discussing what agranulocytosis is, you need to understand about granulocytes. Quoted from the National Cancer Institute, granulocytes are a type of white blood cell (leukocytes) that have granules (small particles).
Of the five types of white blood cells that exist, three of them are granulocytes, namely neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils. Everything is produced in the bone marrow. The granules in granulocytes are released during infections, allergic reactions, and asthma.
You are said to have agranulocytosis when the level of granulocytes in your body is less than normal. In agranulocytosis, the type of granulocyte that is most often affected is neutrophils. Neutrophils are white blood cells that the body needs to fight infection.
Neutrophils are the most common type of granulocytes in forming leukocytes and are an important part of the immune system. This is because neutrophils contain enzymes that kill bacteria and other foreign pathogens.
At first glance, this condition may sound similar to neutropenia or leukopenia. However, the three conditions are fundamentally different.
Neutropenia occurs only when the number of neutrophils is reduced in the blood. This means, when you have agranulocytosis, you are also experiencing neutropenia.
Meanwhile, leukopenia means that you have a deficiency of white blood cells in your blood. That is, agranulocytosis is an acute, severe, and dangerous form of leukopenia.
What are the symptoms of agranulocytosis?
The symptoms of agranulocytosis are usually similar to those of the underlying infection, such as:
- Sudden fever
- Chills
- Decrease in blood pressure leading to limb weakness
- Sores in the mouth or throat
- Sore throat
- Bleeding gums
- Fatigue
- Flu-like symptoms
- Headache
- Sweating
- Swollen glands
Untreated infection can spread quickly throughout the body and even into the blood. If this happens, it will cause a condition known as sepsis and is potentially life threatening.
What are the causes of agranulocytosis?
When you have agranulocytosis, you have a very low number of neutrophils. The normal level of neutrophils in adults is usually around 1,500-8,000 neutrophils per microliter of blood. Meanwhile, if you have agranulocytosis, you have less than 500 neutrophils per microliter of blood.
The cause of this disease is divided into two types, namely congenital and non-congenital agranulocytosis (acquired).
Congenital agranulocytosis is a condition that lacks the number of granulocytes from birth. Meanwhile, other types are caused by consuming certain drugs or medical procedures.
In the conditions obtained (acquired), something causes your bone marrow to fail to produce neutrophils or to produce neutrophils that do not grow into mature, functioning cells.
In addition, there may be other causes for the neutrophils to die too quickly. In congenital agranulocytosis, you inherit a genetic disorder that causes it.
Newly acquired conditions can be caused by:
- Antithyroid drugs, such as carbimazole and methimazole (Tapazole).
- Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine), dipyrone (Metamizole), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Antipsychotics, such as clozapine (Clozaril).
- Antimalarials, such as quinine.
- Chemical exposure (such as the insecticide DDT)
- Diseases affecting the bone marrow (such as cancer)
- Serious infection
- Radiation exposure
- autoimmune diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus)
- Bone marrow transplant
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Chemotherapy
This condition is more common in women than men, and at any age. For congenital conditions more often found in children, who usually do not have a long life expectancy.
What are the complications that can arise from this condition?
Agranulocytosis makes you susceptible to infection, so it can be very dangerous if left untreated. One of the complications of this disease is sepsis (blood infection). Without proper treatment, sepsis can be fatal.
With timely treatment, the prospects for agranulocytosis are better. In most cases, the condition is manageable. People who have this condition after a viral infection may even find that their condition improves.
What are the treatments for agranulocytosis?
Following are treatment options that can treat agranulocytosis:
1. Treat the cause
If agranulocytosis is caused by another disease, you will get treatment to treat that condition. If your agranulocytosis is caused by drugs to treat certain conditions, your doctor may prescribe a replacement medication.
If you are taking several different medications, you may need to stop taking them. This can be the only way to find out what medication is causing this problem. Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or antifungal medication to treat any infections.
2. Other treatment
Care with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor also can be an option. However, this treatment is usually used in people who have cancer and have undergone chemotherapy treatments.
This treatment encourages the bone marrow to produce more neutrophils. It can be used in conjunction with your chemotherapy treatment.
In addition, although not widely used, neutrophil transfusion can be a temporary treatment that can be of choice for some people.
