Causes of leukopenia

Leukopenia and the main characteristics

Leukopenia is a medical term that refers to the condition when the level of white blood cells is lower than normal. White blood cells are also called leukocytes, and they play an important part when it is necessary to fight certain diseases. The amount of white blood cells in an individual depends on the age and sex, because the level that is considered to be normal is not the same for men and women, or for children and adults. However, since there are several types of white blood cells, people who have leucopenia usually have level of only one type decreased, but the results of particular laboratory tests and complete blood count will show the exact situation.

As for the symptoms that may indicate this condition, mild cases will rarely provoke any, while severe ones will result in anemia, heavy and longer menstrual periods, bleeding which is not due to the menstruation, tiredness, headaches, fever, increased susceptibility to infections, and inflammations, because the immune system is weakened. In order to increase the number of white blood cells, the doctor may prescribe vitamins and steroids, since they affect their production in the bone marrow, but chemotherapy is also an option. Severe cases require the combination of medications, but what people should be acquainted with is that Chinese medicine uses a number of herbs and remedies that are proven to be helpful. The treatment will depend on the symptoms and on the causes of the disease.

Causes of leukopenia

As for the causes of the decreased level of white blood cells, the fact is that they are numerous. The most usual ones are:

infections that are viral in nature and that interfere with the function of bone marrow,various diseases, including cancers, that result in the damage of the bone marrow,autoimmune diseases and medicines that destroy either white blood cells or bone marrow cells,certain congenital diseases in which reduced function of the bone marrow is one of the main characteristics,enlargement of the spleen,deficiency in minerals such as zinc and copper, for example,poor or inadequate nutrition,chemotherapy, andradiation therapy.

More precisely, among the conditions that may result in leukopenia most commonly found are HIV, AIDS, anemia, leukemia, myelofibrosis, hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe allergic reactions, whereas among the medications those are certain antipsychotic and immunosuppressive drugs, as well as some of those that are used in the treatment of seizures, mania and migraines.