Neutropenia Awareness

Severe Chronic Neutropenia is a rare disease affecting less than three thousand people in the country. The National Neutropenia Network (NNN) exists to promote awareness, education, and research, and to provide a support system for patients with severe chronic neutropenia (SCN) and their families through a national resource network.

Patients with neutropenia are more susceptible to bacterial infections and, without prompt medical attention, the condition may become life-threatening (neutropenic sepsis). Neutropenia can be acute (temporary) or chronic (long lasting).

Symptoms patients experience depend on the level of Neutropenia. The lower the neutrophil count, the greater the risk of infection. This risk increases if low neutrophil counts persist for more than three days. Types of infection include otitis media; tonsillitis; sore throat; mouth ulcers; gum infection and skin abscesses. Any fever above 38.5°C/101.3°F must be taken very seriously and your nurse or physician should be informed.

Severe Neutropenia can lead to serious problems, which require prompt care since the patient could potentially develop a bacterial, fungal or mixed infection at any time. These infections can be life threatening and it is therefore important the patient be seen by a doctor as soon as possible that if the patient develops any signs or symptoms of an infection. They should then be treated with medications such as antibiotics to fight the infection.\
Causes of Neutropenia:

- Congenital neutropenia is caused by genetic disorders such as Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, Cyclic Neutropenia, Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes, Cartilage-hair hypoplasia, Reticular dysgenesis, and Barth syndrome.
In some cases the destruction of neutrophils can lead to neutropenia, even though the body can manufacture a normal level of neutrophils. These are:
- Alloimmune neonatal neutropenia, the mother produces antibodies against fetal neutrophils
- Autoimmune neutropenia, most common in infants and young children, where the body identifies the neutrophils as enemies and makes an antibody to destroy them.
Neutropenia can be also developed in response to chemotherapy. In addition, viruses can also be the cause of neutropenia. Secondary neutropenia is caused by other primary conditions, including other autoimmune diseases, and infections