Lymphocytopenia is the condition of having an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood. Lymphocytes are a white blood cell with important functions in the immune system. It is also called lymphopenia. The opposite is lymphocytosis, which refers to an excessive level of lymphocytes.
Lymphocytopenia may be present as part of a pancytopenia, when the total numbers of all types of blood cells are reduced.
Lymphocytopenia, but not idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia, is associated with corticosteroid use, infections with HIV and other virus, bacterial, and fungal agents, malnutrition, systemic lupus erythematosus, severe stress, Lymphocytopenia from the Merck Manual Home Health Handbook intense or prolonged physical exercise (due to cortisol release), rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, multiple sclerosis, and iatrogenic (caused by other medical treatments) conditions.
Lymphocytopenia is a frequent, temporary result from many types of chemotherapy, such as with or immunosuppressive drugs. Some malignancies that have spread to involve the bone marrow, such as leukemia or advanced Hodgkin's disease, also cause lymphocytopenia.
Another cause is infection with Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (and other subtypes of the Influenza A virus) and is then often associated with Monocytosis; H1N1 was responsible for the Spanish flu, the 2009 flu pandemic and in 2016 for the Influenza-epidemic in Brazil. Over 1,000 Deaths from H1N1 Outbreak in Brazil (article from 12 July 2016) The SARS disease caused lymphocytopenia. Among patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in Wuhan China through January 29th, 2020, 83.2 percent had Lymphocytopenia at admission.
Large doses of radiation, such as those involved with nuclear accidents or medical whole body radiation, may cause lymphocytopenia.
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