The most significant laboratory signs of leukemia are an increased number of leucocytes (leucocytosis) and the existence of pathologic (malignant) forms of white blood cells. During leukemia, the number of erythrocytes and thrombocytes in the blood decreases. A differential blood count will indicate which population of white blood cells has increased and if there are pathologic (malignant) forms of blood cells. Lleucocytosis is alsp present during many other infective diseases, but pathologic forms of white blood cells are only present in the blood during leukemia. Acute leukemia can cause neutropenia and lymphopenia when the pathologic forms of leukocytes become dominant over the normal white blood cells. Severe recurrent infections, bleeding and signs of anemia are typical for acute leukemia.
Reasons for neutropenia and lymphopenia are various. Every possible explanation should be explored to identify the cause of neutropenia in your body.
1. Infections: viral (measles) and bacterial (tuberculosis, abdominal typhus, brucellosis, ricketiosis…);
2. Medications;
3. Radioactive irradiation;
4. Hematological diseases: megaloblastic anemia, acute leukemia, mielodisplasia, aplastic anemia, multiple myeloma...;
5. Autoimmune diseases: lupus, Felty-syndrome, primary neutropenia, cyclic neutropenia..., and
6. Idiopathic chronic neutropenia.
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