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The invisible killer of the immune system: Do you know what agranulocytosis is?
Agranulocytosis, also known as granulocytopenia or granulopenia, is an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous decrease in the number of white blood cells, especially neutrophils, causing circulating blood neutropenia occurs. This disease leaves patients with severely compromised immune systems and a high risk of serious infections.
Agranulocytosis, in which the concentration of granulosa cells in the blood is less than 200 cells/mm³, is extremely dangerous to health.
Symptoms and signs
Agranulocytosis may have no specific symptoms, or it may present with sudden and severe fever, chills, and sore throat. In addition to this, an infection in any organ, such as pneumonia or a urinary tract infection, can progress rapidly, leading to rapid progression to sepsis.
Cause
Many drugs are associated with agranulocytosis, including antiepileptic drugs (such as carbamazepine and valproic acid), antithyroid drugs (such as carbimazole, thiomidazole, and propylthiouracil), and some antibiotics ( Such as penicillin, chloramphenicol and co-trimoxazole). In addition, certain antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, particularly the atypical antipsychotic clozapine, are among the drugs of concern, which are usually only used in refractory cases and require blood count monitoring. Research shows that an outbreak of agranulocytosis in the United States and Canada from March to November 2008 was linked to the anti-insect agent levamisole adulterated in cocaine.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71 percent of cocaine samples seized in the United States contained levamisole, a pesticide used on animals for which the actual reason for use is unknown.
Diagnosis
Confirming the diagnosis of agranulocytosis usually requires a complete blood count. The results of this test show that the number of neutrophils is usually less than 500 and sometimes even reaches 0. During these tests, other blood cell types may remain in normal numbers. To formally diagnose agranulocytosis, other conditions with similar symptoms need to be excluded, such as aplastic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, myelodysplastic syndromes, and leukemia. This requires a bone marrow examination to observe the maturation of cells within the bone marrow.
Treatment methods
For asymptomatic patients, management focuses on monitoring their condition through regular blood tests, discontinuing medications that cause agranulocytosis, and providing general advice on the significance of fever. If there are obvious signs of infection, more aggressive management may be needed, such as consideration of granulosa cell transfusion. However, granulosa cells only survive in the circulation for about 10 hours, which puts a time limit on treatment, plus the procedure can lead to numerous complications.
Aneulocytosis is not only a scientific term, but also hides major challenges and risks to human health. Can we really ignore its impact?
In this age of immune system challenges, agranulocytosis is a wake-up call for our health, so are you ready to learn more about this invisible killer?
