Basopenia - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Basopenia: what is it and how to treat it?

Basopenia is a decrease in the level of basophils less than 0.01 * 10 ⁹ g / l. Basopenia accompanies the development of infectious processes, ulcerative stomatitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia. This condition is associated with a high risk of developing severe complications, including sepsis, hepatitis, peritonitis, etc. Treatment of this clinical and hematological syndrome requires elimination of the causes that provoked it.

Basophils are granulocytes that are found in human tissues and in peripheral blood. Determine the basophils within the leukocyte formula. Therefore, a decrease in basophils will be accompanied by a decrease in leukocytes in general. To count their number, blood sampling for clinical analysis is required.

Basophils are produced by the bone marrow. Their average life span is a week.

With the development of inflammation, the basophils, together with other leukocytes, are sent to its focus and direct their efforts to neutralize it. Basophils are responsible for the production of histamine (takes part in the fight against allergic reactions), serotonin (a hormone responsible for suppressing stress) and heparin (this substance reduces blood clotting). Basophils carry prostaglandins, which together with histamine eliminate the allergen. During this invisible struggle, a person develops an inflammatory process, which can have various manifestations.

If the level of basophils is low, then this indicates a deficiency of the immune system. After all, they, together with other white blood cells, are the first to be sent to the focus of inflammation. Although, to a greater extent, basophils are responsible for immediate and delayed allergic reactions. Basopenia requires additional examinations and finding out the reasons that led to a decrease in the level of these cells.

Content:

Reasons for the development of basopenia

Basopenia symptoms

Diagnosis of basopenia

Norms of basophils in the blood

How to get tested correctly?

Basopenia treatment

Reasons for the development of basopenia

The following conditions can lead to the development of basopenia:

Suppression of their production in the bone marrow. The effect of ionizing radiation on the body, the intake of cytostatic drugs and other drugs can lead to such a violation. Potentially dangerous medicines include: Levomycetin, Gentamicin, Streptomycin, Penicillin, Colchicine, Aminazine.
Immune reactions of the body with the formation of antibodies in the blood. They begin to attack their own white blood cells, which leads to their death. The development of such a reaction can be triggered by taking certain medicines, for example, Amidopyrine, Analgin, Aspirin, drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, helminthiasis. Also, a decrease in the level of basophils in the blood can be observed in rheumatoid arthritis, thyroiditis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other collagenoses.
Infections can lead to basopenia. Among the dangerous conditions: malaria, infectious mononucleosis, typhoid fever, yellow fever, hepatitis, poliomyelitis.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, aplastic anemia can provoke a decrease in the level of basophils in the blood.

Basopenia can develop during pregnancy, when the volume of circulating blood in a woman's body increases. Most often, this situation is observed in early pregnancy. If a woman suffers from folate deficiency anemia or B12-deficiency anemia, then her basophil level will also be low. To normalize these indicators, you must follow a diet and take vitamin complexes.

Basopenia symptoms

Symptoms of basopenia depend on the underlying cause of the disorder. If basopenia is of an immune nature, then the disorder develops acutely and is accompanied by a decrease in the level of leukocytes in general. A person's body temperature rises, severe weakness occurs, sweating and pallor of the skin increase.

The mucous membrane of the mouth undergoes pathological changes. Ulcers and areas of necrosis form on the gums and inner surface of the cheeks, the pharynx and tongue, uvula and hard palate become inflamed. In parallel, pains are added, which intensify during swallowing food and while chewing it. Nearby lymph nodes become inflamed. The liver and spleen may increase in size.

With a decrease in the production of basophils and other leukocytes in the bone marrow, a person will notice the following symptoms:

Nose bleed.
Increased bleeding of the gums.
Bruising and bruising.
The appearance of blood in the urine.

If the intestines are involved in the inflammatory process, then the patient develops diarrhea, abdominal distention increases, and cramping pains appear. A severe course of pathology can result in perforation of the intestinal wall and the development of peritonitis.

There is also a high risk of developing hemorrhagic pneumonia, with further abscess or gangrene of the lung tissue. The complications of pathology also include sepsis, acute inflammation of the liver parenchyma, mediastinitis.

Diagnosis of basopenia

The doctor may prescribe an analysis for basophils in the following cases:

During a planned clinical examination.
During the examination before the operation.
If you suspect an infection, inflammation or blood disorder.
To monitor the effectiveness of the treatment.

In childhood, a decrease in the number of basophils can provoke disturbances in the work of the endocrine system and in the processes of hematopoiesis, which increases the likelihood of leukemia. If the basophils are reduced in a woman against the background of full health, then it makes sense to conduct a pregnancy test.

As a rule, studies for basophils are not separately carried out. They are counted within the leukocyte formula. The construction of this formula is carried out within the framework of a detailed clinical blood test. Basophils are designated as BAS or BA. However, in the blood test results they will be in the GRN granulocyte or MID monocyte group. If the indicators of these populations do not go beyond the permissible norm, then an additional calculation of basophils is not carried out. In case of any deviations, the doctor prescribes a repeated analysis with the calculation of the leukocyte formula in a blood smear under a microscope.

Norms of basophils in the blood

The level of basophils in the blood does not change significantly depending on the age of the person. Nevertheless, certain indicators of the norm still exist:

The rate of basophils in newborns is 0.75%.
When the child reaches 1 month, their blood level decreases to 0.5%.
In children from 2 months to a year, the normal indicators of basophils are 0.4-0.9%.
For children under 12 years old, these values remain at around 0.7%.
In adolescence over 12 years old and up to 21 years old, the level of basophils is kept at around 0.6-1%.
In adults, the normal content of basophils in the blood is equal to 0.5-1%.

Immediately after the baby is born, the level of basophils in his blood will be increased. This is due to the development of immunity. During the first month, these values will decrease slightly, and by the age of 12 they should stabilize.

How to get tested correctly?

In order for the results of the study to be as reliable as possible and not to require repeated blood donation, the following recommendations must be observed:

You need to donate blood on an empty stomach. To do this, 8-12 hours before the procedure, you should refuse to eat. You can only drink water.
The day before the procedure, you can not play sports, you need to minimize the effects of stress on the body, not to lift weights. In general, you need to lead a measured lifestyle.
It is advisable to exclude spicy, salty and fatty foods, alcoholic and tonic drinks, carbonated water from the menu.
If a person is forced to take any medications, then before taking a blood test, he must warn his doctor about this.

Compliance with these rules will allow you to get the most reliable results on the level of basophils and other blood parameters.

Basopenia treatment

Treatment for basopenia should be based on the reasons that provoked it. For this, the patient is subjected to a comprehensive examination.

The period of pregnancy should be noted separately. At this time, a decrease in the level of basophils in the blood is a variant of the norm, since this occurs due to an increase in blood volumes. No specific treatment is required, after a while the blood counts will return to normal on their own.

If the pathological reasons for the decrease in basophils in the blood of an adult are not identified, then efforts should be directed to strengthening the body's immune forces. For this, they try to avoid stress, put in order the regime moments. It is important to give up bad habits, eat right and play sports. Eating meat and fish dishes, vegetables, fruits and cereals will make it possible to replenish the deficiency of nutrients in the body, which will have a positive effect on the composition of the blood.

If, in addition to basophils, the patient has a sharp decrease in other blood populations included in the leukocyte formula, then this requires hospitalization of the patient. He is placed in an isolated ward, where aseptic conditions are observed. This will eliminate the likelihood of developing infectious complications, since the low content of leukocytes in the blood affects the state of immunity. It can decrease so much that any disease, even a common ARVI, can lead to pneumonia and death. Particular attention should be paid to such patients in the oral cavity. It is rinsed as often as possible using aseptic solutions.

If a person is taking myelotoxic drugs, then the treatment should be reconsidered. Without the abolition of these drugs, it will not be possible to restore the level of leukocytes to normal. Antibiotics and antimycotics can be prescribed to prevent purulent and fungal infections. In severe cases, leukocyte transfusion is performed. Immunoglobulins are administered intravenously.

When the cause of a decrease in the level of basophils and other leukocytes becomes immune and autoimmune pathology, the patient is prescribed glucocorticoids in high doses. If a large amount of antibodies to its own cells circulates in the blood, plasmapheresis is performed. It is possible to use drugs aimed at stimulating leukopoiesis.

With the development of severe septic complications, the prognosis worsens significantly. To prevent the development of basopenia, it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right. If a person is forced to take drugs with myelotoxic effect, then he needs to regularly donate blood for analysis. At the first signs of violations, adjustments should be made to the treatment regimen.

A decrease in the level of basophils in particular, but with a normal value of the leukocyte formula in general, does not pose a threat to human health and does not require any specific treatment. Basophils, as a separate blood population, are of clinical interest if their level begins to increase and a person develops basophilia. This condition is more dangerous than basopenia.