1. Reduced neutrophil counts in children with transient erythroblastopenia of childhood
- Author
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Rogers, Zora R., Bergstrom, Steven K., Amylon, Michael D., Buchanan, George R., and Glader, Bertil E.
- Subjects
Blood -- Abnormalities ,Neutrophils -- Analysis ,Erythrocyte disorders -- Physiological aspects ,Thalassemia -- Diagnosis ,Health - Abstract
Erythroblastopenia is a condition of an abnormally low number of erythroblasts, a type of red blood cell. Transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC) occurs in healthy children and eventually goes away. The blood test results from 64 patients with TEC were reviewed to determine whether there was also a reduction in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. Mild neutropenia, low neutrophil count, was found in half of the patients with TEC. The cause of TEC is not known, but four cases appeared simultaneously in Australia in an area where TEC had not previously been seen. A local toxin or bacterial infection may have been the precipitating factor. A Japanese boy taking strong antibiotics developed TEC, along with a decrease in granulocytes, a type of white cells that contain granules. The wide range of blood abnormalities found in patients with TEC should be considered when making a diagnosis.
- Published
- 1989