{"id":228045,"date":"2026-03-31T04:27:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/228045\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:27:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:27:32","slug":"leukopenia-6-things-to-know-about-a-low-white-blood-cell-count","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/228045\/","title":{"rendered":"Leukopenia: 6 things to know about a low white blood cell count"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leukopenia is the scientific term for having a low white blood cell count. It\u2019s considered a more general term than neutropenia<\/a>, which is specific to only one type of white blood cell (the neutrophil<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Greek prefix \u201cleuko-\u201d means white, while the suffix \u201c-penia\u201d\u00a0 means \u201ctoo few.\u201d So, it encompasses all types of white blood cells, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn why you might have leukopenia, what its symptoms are and how it\u2019s treated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most common reason for a low white blood cell count?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0causes of\u00a0leukopenia fall into two main categories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your body doesn\u2019t make enough of them.\u00a0
\nSome external force, such as an infection<\/a>, is destroying them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some people\u2019s bodies naturally don\u2019t make white blood cells, like the late David Vetter, who was known as the \u201cBubble Boy\u201d in the 1970s. But immunodeficiencies<\/a> like his tend to show up very early.<\/p>\n

When older people develop low white blood cell counts<\/a>, it\u2019s usually because of something else, such as leukemia<\/a>. Naturally occurring reasons for leukopenia are far less common.<\/p>\n

Among our patients at UT MD Anderson, though, cancer treatment<\/a> \u2014 especially chemotherapy<\/a> \u2014 is the most likely reason. Neutropenia is a well-known side effect<\/a> of chemotherapy.<\/p>\n

So, leukopenia doesn\u2019t just mean my body is fighting off an infection?<\/p>\n

No. Not\u00a0unless\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0been fighting\u00a0it\u00a0off\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0very\u00a0long\u00a0time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are there any other\u00a0possible causes\u00a0of leukopenia?<\/p>\n

Yes. A genetic variation called benign<\/a> ethnic neutropenia has been identified in some Black, Middle Eastern and Asian populations who have lower numbers of neutrophils than people of primarily European descent. They aren\u2019t sickly, and they don\u2019t get more infections<\/a> than anyone else. Their neutrophil counts are just naturally lower than those of others. It\u2019s also sometimes known as Duffy-null associated neutrophil count (DANC).<\/p>\n

Much like sickle cells<\/a>, benign ethnic neutropenia appears to be a natural variation that developed in areas where malaria is prevalent. Sickle cells die more quickly if they\u2019re infected with malaria. But because people with benign ethnic neutropenia also lack a certain receptor on the surface of their red blood cells, malaria can\u2019t even get into them. It gives them natural immunity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

What are the symptoms\u00a0of leukopenia?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Frequent infections, whose symptoms include fever, chills and sweating. That\u2019s why instructions about what to watch out for are some of the most important things we give our patients. That\u2019s also why it\u2019s so important to see your doctor quickly if you develop a fever during cancer treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re receiving cancer treatments, your body can\u2019t always fight off infection in the same way it normally would. That\u2019s why you may need antivirals or\u00a0antibiotics<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

How is\u00a0leukopenia\u00a0treated?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Growth factors like filgrastim are available that can stimulate the bone marrow to produce more white blood cells. But we determine whether you need one based on what\u2019s causing it and how often you\u2019re getting sick. Someone who\u2019s getting frequent infections would be treated differently than someone who only gets an occasional cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s considered a dangerously low white blood cell count?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The normal white blood cell range is between 4,000 and 11,000 cells per microliter (mcL). But if you\u2019re not getting sick all the time, even a very low count isn\u2019t necessarily cause for alarm. A \u201cdangerously low\u201d blood count is more about symptoms than numbers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joanne Becker, M.D., is a\u00a0transfusion specialist\u00a0in\u00a0Laboratory Medicine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0call 1-877-632-6789.<\/p>\n

Leukopenia is the scientific term for having a low white blood cell count.
\nChemotherapy is the most common reason for leukopenia among cancer patients.
\nLeukopenia treatment depends on how often you\u2019re getting sick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leukopenia is the scientific term for having a low white blood cell count. It\u2019s considered a more general…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1145,13197,1143,1142,56,58,57,1144,88188,1148,2822],"class_list":{"0":"post-228045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-caregivers","9":"tag-chemotherapy","10":"tag-diagnosis-treatment","11":"tag-family-friends","12":"tag-houston","13":"tag-houston-headlines","14":"tag-houston-news","15":"tag-leukemia","16":"tag-neutropenia","17":"tag-patients","18":"tag-survivors"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}