Lithium and leukocytosis

Abstract

Peripheral blood specimens from 22 hospitalized psychiatric patients and one outpatient were examined for white blood cell (WBG) count changes during treatment with lithium carbonate. Significant leukocytosis occurred during periods of lithium ingestion; this phenomenon was reversible, apparently innocuous, and not related to psychiatric diagnosis or the many variables of hospitalization. While elevations in WBG count are likely the result of a drug effect, they were not dose related or dependent on the concentration of lithium in the peripheral blood. A trend toward neutrophilia and lymphocytopenia emerged for the group but cannot be said to account for the global change in total WBG.

Inhibition of Dimethyl Sulfoxide-Induced Friend Erythroleukemia Cell Differentiation in vitro by Lithium Chloride

“…The monovalent cation lithium (Li+) has been the subject of experimentation since it was first observed to induce a leukocytosis when administered to manic-depressive pa tients receiving Li+ as therapy [1,2]. Due to this inherent property, Li+ has been proposed as adjuvant therapy for the amelioration or prevention of the myelosuppression present in patients undergoing chemo and/or radio therapy [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13], Investigations into the mechanism(s) by which Li+ induces increased myelopoiesis have suggested the following: (1) increased leukocyte release from the marrow reserves into the peripheral circulation [14]; (2) in creased synthesis and release of colony stim ulating factor (GM-CSF) from a wide variety of tissues [15,16], and (3) increased numbers of committed granulocyte-macrophage stem cells (CFU-GM) from a variety of species including man [6,14,[17][18][19][20], Li+ has been demonstrated to recruit CFU-GM into cell cycle as quantitated by measuring increased thymidine and hydroxyurea kill [21].…”

Side Effects of Lithium Therapy and Their Treatment

“…Hematological changes have also been reported, the most common being leukocytosis (16,22). White blood counts ranging from 10,000 to 14,000 are not uncommon.…”

Altered Distribution of T Lymphocyte Subsets in Lithium-Treated Patients

“…cytes [5], It has been shown in vitro that lithium enhances the T lymphocyte-derived colony-stimulating activity through an effect upon T suppressor cells [6]. The fact that lithium can affect T suppressor cells in vitro, and the possibility that such an effect, if existing also in vivo, could have some relevance in relation to the pathogenesis o f the renal and thyroid lesions induced by lithium treat ment, were the reasons why this study o f the effect of lithium on T lymphocytes in vivo was planned.…”