Neutropenia and Its Symptoms

Neutropenia is a conditional in which the number of neutrophils in the bloodstream is low. It affects the body’s ability to fight off infections. Some of the symptoms for neutropenia are low grade fevers, sore throat, mouth ulcers, abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, toothache, pain near the anus, increased urination, burning sensation when urinating, coughing, trouble breathing, redness or swelling around wounds and unusual vaginal discharge. One of the treatments for neutropenia include granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) which is a glycoprotein that stimulates the bone marrow to produce neutrophils and other granulocyte and releases them into the bloodstream. The most commonly used version of G-CSF is a drug called filgrastim. Another treatment is granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) which is a naturally produced glycoprotein carries out a similar role to G-CSF. They both promote neutrophil recovery after chemotherapy. The last treatment is antibiotics, prophylactic antibiotics may sometimes be given to reduce the likelihood of infection. They are often given at the point in time when the neutrophil count is likely to be lowest. Ways to prevent neutropenia include cleaning your hands frequently, avoiding contact with sick people, always wearing shoes, cleaning cuts and scrapes, using an electric shaver rather than a razor, avoiding animal waste, avoiding unpasteurized dairy foods, uncooked meats, raw fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and honey and staying out of hot tubs, ponds and rivers. Some possible causes of neutropenia include problems in the production of neutrophils in the bone marrow, destruction of neutrophils outside the bone marrow, infection, nutritional deficiency and causes of decreased production of neutrophils include being born with a problem with bone marrow production, leukemia and other conditions that affect the bone marrow or lead to bone marrow failure, radiation and chemotherapy. The prevalence of neutropenia