Too few white blood cells: Causes
A low leukocyte count occurs when white blood cells are used up in large quantities and/or not enough new cells are reproduced in the bone marrow. Because the body has some leukocyte storage, leukopenia does not become noticeable with symptoms until about a week later.
There can be several reasons when the blood level of leukocytes is low, such as:
- Infections (such as influenza = flu, measles, rubella, malaria, brucellosis, typhoid abdominalis).
- Bone marrow damage due to chemotherapy or irradiation
- autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s syndrome or reactive arthritis
- Diseases in which leukocyte formation is disturbed, such as vitamin B12 deficiency or myelodysplasia (bone marrow diseases with disturbed blood formation)
Too few white blood cells: symptoms
Overall, various complaints and diseases can be signs of leukopenia. These include:
- Inflammation of the gums
- Inflammation of the oral mucosa
- frequently recurring sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses)
- Middle ear infection
- pharyngitis
- pneumonia
- boils
- swollen lymph nodes
- fever of unknown cause
Leukocytes too low: What to do?
If the leukocyte count is slightly reduced, you can first wait and check the blood again at intervals. Often the blood count will then have normalized again on its own, for example if an infection that has now healed was the cause.
If the white blood cell count is severely reduced, a bone marrow sample may have to be taken to find the cause.
