Leukemoid reaction

Leukemoid reaction
Specialty	Hematology

The term leukemoid reaction describes an increased white blood cell count (> 50,000 cells/μL), which is a physiological response to stress or infection (as opposed to a primary blood malignancy, such as leukemia). It often describes the presence of immature cells such as myeloblasts or red blood cells with nuclei in the peripheral blood.

It may be

As noted above, a leukemoid reaction is typically a response to an underlying medical issue. Causes of leukemoid reactions include:^[citation needed]

• Severe
  hemorrhage
  (retroperitoneal hemorrhage)
• Drugs
  • Use of sulfa drugs
  • Use of dapsone
  • Use of glucocorticoids
  • Use of
    G-CSF
    or related growth factors
  • All-trans retinoic acid
    (ATRA)
• Ethylene glycol intoxication
• Infections
  • Clostridium difficile
  • Tuberculosis
  • Pertussis
  • Infectious mononucleosis (lymphocyte predominant)
  • Visceral larva migrans (eosinophil predominant)
• Asplenia
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Organ necrosis
  • Hepatic necrosis
  • Ischemic colitis
• As a feature of
  trisomy 21
  in infancy (incidence of ~10%)
• As a
  paraneoplastic phenomenon
  (rare)

Diagnosis

Conventionally, a leukocytosis exceeding 50,000 WBC/mm³ with a significant increase in early

Treatment of underlying condition. If drug induced, discontinue drug. If the reaction is found to be from anything besides drug use, certain anti neoplastic drugs may be indicated.^[citation needed]

See also

• Leukemid
• Leukocytosis
• Neutrophilia

References