With this figures, I could surmise that the nurse is talking about your white blood counts or the neutrophil counts. White blood cell precursors in the bone marrow are usually affected by chemotherapy and this can lead to low levels of these blood cells. Since white blood cells are our body's defense against infections, the manifestations of low white blood counts would include fevers or any focus of infection.
Interferon can cause a condition called ‘neutropenia’ or the suppression of white blood cells necessary to fight infection. In some countries, the drug Neupogen (filgrastim) is available to combat this, and to keep patients on full dose HCV meds.
Filgrastim and PEG-filgrastim are relatively expensive; and they might not be available in all areas.
The relationship between neutropenia and infectious complications in this instance is not well described. In the absence of data, reduction in IFN dose and/or G-CSF dose for those who develop neutropenia while undergoing IFN-based therapy for HCV infection are often initiated in clinical practice, as suggested in treatment guidelines [6] and mandated in most clinical trials [15].
I had a blood test yesterday and results show a WBC of 2.9 and also low neutrophils of .60 (meaning I have moderate neutropenia). All other values are within range.
I had a blood test done a year ago and everything was good then (WBC of 5.6).
I don't have a fever or additional symptoms and don't think I have a virus.
I have as few questions:
1. Could this be a normal swing in my WBC, is it fairly common for healthy people to drop low and bounce back up?
2.
My husband is 53 years old and in excellent health -- doesn't drink, exercises regularly. He has a bicuspid aortic valve that is being managed with Lisinopril, and he had a prostate biopsy last year that came back negative, and since then, his PSA is within normal range. Last month he had a routine physical and his wbc came back at 1.9 with neutrophil ABS at 0.4. He has received no treatment thus far, the doctor has adopted a "wait and see" attitude and ordered weekly cbc's.
Patients with CML are immunocompromised and can easily acquire infections. Neutropenia also puts a patient in an immunocompromised state.
For now, it is very important to prevent acquiring any infection. You should avoid crowded places and persons with ongoing infection.
Good luck.
Filgrastim is also prescribed as pegfilgrastim (called Neulasta). My doctor used the 500 neutrophill count as a cut-off, so every time I got down around 500 I used Neulasta. The interferon drops neutrophils and platelets. Some people can do okay with low neutrophils but just as many end up with kidney and sinus infections, etc., that make you even more miserable.
Hello everyone, so i made a complete blood picture and in the comment was that i had Relative Lymphocytosis and Absolute Neutropenia .. What does that mean ?
Hello all, I'm not sure if everyone is familiar with my story but I have neutropenia and graves disease. I need to get my wisdom tooth extracted because I have avoided it long enough. When I first tried to get my wisdom pulled the dental surgeon realized that my wisdom tooth was in my nerve and that i would suffer damage if pulled. I was told to prolong it as much as I could however, I get horrible migraines (I've suffered from migraines since 13) and I need my tooth taken out.
Taken 21 injections of Pegasys 180 mcg till date. i am having very wide fluctuations in WBC and ANC. The range is between 6500 and 1400 for WBC and 4700 and 260 for ANC. Doctors unable to give any explanation for such wide variations on a dose to dose basis. Till date, I have also taken 5 doses of Filgrastim - the WBC Stimulator.
Can you pleae advice possible reasons for such wide fluctuations.
Shortly after we met him he diagnosed Severe Chronic Neutropenia, and I was the first in the United States found with it. Then in 1991 Dr, Bedros had me put on a experimental drug called Neupogen I was the first in world put on the med, I have not yet met anyone who takes its besides me. But I do hear they use it for Cancer now but thats all I know I never met no one with my illness before.
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