Evaluation of non-malignant neutropenia in children at tertiary care hospital of South Gujarat

Abstract

: Neutropenia is defined as absolute neutrophil count <1500cells/mm. This condition is observed in different situations - from a variant of the normal to life-threatening acquired and congenital diseases. Diseases like Tuberculosis, malaria, pertussis, typhoid, dengue, HIV, etc. can cause neutropenia. Mild cases are usually asymptomatic. But severe cases are extremely susceptible to infections, mainly viral infections like CMV, EBV, HIV, etc. Clinical manifestations, like complications, depend on the severity of neutropenia. The clinical manifestations of isolated neutropenia are diverse, including the frequency of infectious episodes. A thorough infectious history of neutropenic patients is the initial step of the evaluation. : To enlist the causes and clinical features, to document various treatment modalities, and to assess the outcome of children with non-malignant neutropenia. : Hospital based prospective cross-sectional study was conducted for 20 months among 42 patients at Department of Pediatrics of tertiary care Hospital. Study was conducted from February 2021 to August 2022. : Total 20 were males and 22 were females. Among the study participants, 36 were >2 years of age and 6 were <2 years of age had nonmalignant neutropenia. Among the study participants, 40 were from urban area and 2 were from rural area. More number of patients had come with chief complaint of fever. : The current population of children in India is close to 1.41 billion and 10.2% of it suffering from neutropenia makes it an important health problem that needs to be thoroughly evaluated.