what causes low white blood cell count in elderly

The study was not powered for analyzing more detailed categories of death causes. Plasma glucose was computed from venous whole blood glucose using the formula: plasma glucose = 0.558 + 1.119* whole blood glucose [11]. During a median followup of 11.4 years (range 0.2–11.8 years) 108 (52%) men and 67 (30%) women died. Destruction of red blood cells due to hemolytic anemia, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, or an abnormality in the red blood cell membrane. MDS is often referred to as a bone marrow failure disorder. A low white blood cell count, along with results from other tests, might already indicate the cause of your illness. Of note only WBC count differed significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors in both sexes (higher in nonsurvivors); in addition known hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, and lower HDL-C levels were significantly more common in nonsurviving men and higher plasma glucose levels in nonsurviving women. Androgens are known to help the body manufacture red blood cells. A decrease in the production of functional leukocytes (white blood cells) weakens the body's immune defense, which may make you more prone to infections. While many of the causes of an elevated white blood cell count are serious, there are also less worrisome reasons such as external issues that affect the test or lifestyle factors that can easily be altered or avoided. Background: Elevated white blood cell (WBC) count is a well-known predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Nutrition: Not eating well or low levels of certain vitamins, such as folic acid and B12, can affect … Higher WBC counts predicted cardiovascular events and total mortality during a mean followup of 6.1 years also after multifactor adjustment including age. Multiple observational studies have demonstrated that WBC counts have substantial ability to predict all-cause mortality [1–4, 14], cardiovascular mortality [14, 15], cerebrovascular mortality [7], and cancer mortality [5, 6, 14] as well as incident coronary heart diseases [15, 16]. White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are the warriors of the immune system.Mostly produced by bone marrow, white blood cell count will initially rise when the body is attacked by a disease.If the infection is overwhelming, however, white blood cells may be consumed faster than they can be released, leading to a low count. The median WBC count (in 109/L) was 6.3 (interquartile range 5.4–7.2) for men and 5.7 (4.9–6.8) for women, for sex difference. The strength of the present study is increased by a relatively long time of followup. [15] reported a followup of 72,000 women from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. low blood count elderly. The authors are also grateful to Mattias Rehn for excellent technical support. Or your doctor may suggest other tests to further check your condition. The within-subject variability compared with the between-subject variability is similar to WBC count and serum cholesterol [21]. Infections may cause a temporary decrease in white blood cell count, a condition known as leukopenia. Categorical variables are shown as number (%) and continuous variables as median (interquartile range). It often happens in babies, very young children, or the elderly. Lavender Essential Oil. Consequently, the WBC count is often included in routine clinical checkups. However, the risk excess found in the present analyses was practically unchanged after adjustment for these factors. This is a likely explanation for the higher mortality among nonparticipants than among participants. The study included 207 men and 220 women comprising 69% of the invited 75-year-olds in a defined geographical area. Introduction. For the present analyses, causes of death were grouped into two categories: cardiovascular, ICD 10, I00-I99, or noncardiovascular comprising all other causes of death. Substances called cytokines, which are involved in inflammation, inhibit the production of red blood cells. Severe infection may develop if the disease is left untreated, or is not responding to treatment. ANSWER: A low white blood cell count almost always is related to a decrease in a type of infection-fighting white blood cell called neutrophils. Only a few of these studies have included women [3, 6, 15]. Each age class represents survivors from younger age classes. Leukopenia: A low white blood cell count. Frequent blood donation. Autoimmune diseases that attack your white blood cells can also lead to a low WBC count. Determination of the WBC count is a well standardized and cost-effective procedure with excellent precision and it is often included in routine checkups. The hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality per 109/L increase in WBCs was 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.32; ) in men and 1.28 (1.10–1.50; ) in women. Minor Causes. They sense infections, gather at sites of infection, and destroy the pathogens. A two-sided value <0.05 was regarded as statistically significant in all analyses. Myelodysplasia, a condition where the blood cells are poorly formed or do not function well, is another cause of low blood levels, according to Mayo Clinic. The reason for this sex disparity is unknown. The blood samples were collected in a fasting state in the morning. Common causes include: cancer treatment, like radiotherapy; antipsychotic medicines; medicine for an overactive thyroid; some cancers, like leukaemia; infections such as HIV or hepatitis; autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis; Agranulocytosis and neutropenia are conditions that cause a low white blood cell count. Low white blood cell counts linked to severe COVID-19 cases. Model 2, which adjusts for the two most significant risk factors, was used for the cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality since the relatively few events in these categories did not allow further adjustments. This finding might provide clues as to the association between WBC counts and cardiovascular death. Poor nutrition habits can impact the body’s ability to produce white blood cells. All-cause mortality served as the primary end point. Blood pressure (BP) was measured to the nearest five mm Hg with a mercury sphygmomanometer with the subjects in a supine position having rested for five minutes. The number of polymorphonuclear cells may vary in cases of gingivitis so it is not a surprising finding on a differential leukocyte count; however a low number may be related to issues including infections, cancer, bone marrow disorders among other conditions. In these observational studies broad age categories of mainly middle-aged people have been evaluated as homogenous groups with no opportunity to distinguish prognoses for distinct age classes, such as the 75-year-olds of the present study. It is determined routinely by means of well-standardized automated methods at low cost and with high precision. Vitamin B 12 deficiency, folate deficiency, gastrointestinal bleeding and … Symptoms of leukopenia. A truly low white blood cell count also puts you at higher risk for infections — typically bacterial infections. A white blood cell. Because a chronic very low white blood cell count makes you vulnerable to infections, ask your doctor about precautions to avoid catching contagious diseases. We determined the prognostic impact of WBC count on all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality during an 11-year followup in a general population of 75-year-olds. We determined the prognostic impact of WBC count on all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality during an 11-year followup in a general population of 75-year-olds. A low white blood cell count, leukopenia, means disease-fighting cells have decreased circulating in your blood. Fact Check: Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe? Cumulative survival was estimated by means of the Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Ireland Vacation Castles: Where to Stay and What to Tour. The white blood cell (WBC) count is marker of systemic inflammation. The distribution of the WBC counts among the participants at baseline was positively skewed. Study Population. There is clear evidence that neutrophil is the subgroup of WBC that is most strongly associated with coronary risk [16]. Similar studies from other centers need to confirm the results from the present study. Among the most common causes is a serious infection, which may use up white blood cells faster than they can be produced. 0 Recommendations. However, elderly patients commonly fail to develop a high WBC count in response to several diseased states and may instead present a low WBC count. Coronavirus The examined communitybased cohort was well defined and the participation rate was rather high. The study was approved by the research ethics committee of Uppsala University, Sweden, and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Conclusions. A low blood count is diagnosed using a test called a full blood count, where your blood levels are compared with the population average. What causes a low white blood cell count? Platelets are bone marrow cells released into the blood. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Low levels of B12, folic acid and other vitamins may translate into a low white blood cell count. A lo… Furthermore the NHANES study demonstrated a mean WBC count slightly on the rise in those above 65 years of age [17]. Failure of your bone marrow or other damage done to your bone marrow. The study included 207 men and 220 women comprising 69% of the invited 75-year-olds in a defined geographical area. There were 6 deaths from unknown causes. There were strong correlations between WBC count and plasma glucose and HDL-C, respectively, in women (Spearman correlation 0.29; and Spearman correlation −0.25; ) but not in men (Spearman correlation 0.09; and Spearman correlation 0.01; ). Cox regression analyses of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality according to WBC count stratified by sex (, White Blood Cell Count in Elderly Is Clinically Useful in Predicting Long-Term Survival, Centre for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden, Department of Clinical Physiology, Västmanland County Hospital, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden, R. F. Gillum, D. D. Ingram, and D. M. Makuc, “White blood cell count, coronary heart disease, and death: the NHANES I epidemiologic follow-up study,”, M. P. Weijenberg, E. J. M. Feskens, and D. Kromhout, “White blood cell count and the risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality in elderly men,”, C. Ruggiero, E. J. Metter, A. Cherubini et al., “White blood cell count and mortality in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging,”, S. T. Weiss, M. R. Segal, D. Sparrow, and C. Wager, “Relation of FEV1 and peripheral blood leukocyte count to total mortality. Figure 1 shows the Kaplan-Meier curves for all-cause mortality according to sex-specific WBC count tertiles. The causes of low blood count in elderly patients include underlying diseases such as cancer or kidney failure, says WebMD. … Main Results. Introduction. A low white blood cell count can be caused by many health conditions including infections, autoimmune diseases (such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), or be a side effect of cancer treatment. June 21, 2018. Concerning elderly men, Weijenberg et al. Evidently, the WBC count has a much stronger prognostic ability with regard to total mortality and cardiovascular mortality than total cholesterol and LDL-C among the elderly. For all-cause mortality, the HR (95%CI) was 1.11 (0.96–1.29; ) in men and 1.27 (1.08–1.51; ) in women. In the present study we observed a significantly higher risk of mortality among women even if deaths within 5 years were excluded. Women in the top quartile (≥6.7 × 109, cells/L) had 50% higher risk for total mortality than women in the lowest quartile (≤4.7 × 109, cells/L). Serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were determined enzymatically on an automated analyser system (Hitachi 717, Boehringer Mannheim). The patients can also be suffering from malnutrition. However, in the elderly it is most often as a result from arthritis, a malfunctioning immune system or chemotherapy. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to compare continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test to compare categorical variables. For continuous variables, the assumption of proportional hazards (PH) was assessed by examining the variables’ interaction with time or a function of time (e.g., log(time)) in a Cox model. Low blood levels can also be a result of chronic inflammation in the elderly, states PubMed Central. Viral Infection: Viruses can cause leukopenia by both slowing the function of bone marrow and by killing off white blood cells. A low blood count in men is most commonly caused by iron deficiency anemia from chronic occult bleeding. Intraindividual versus interindividual variation,”. A low white blood cell count in adults is defined as lower than 3,500 white blood cells per micro-liter of blood. White blood cell (WBC) count is often included in routine clinical checkups. Other causes of low blood cell count in elderly people are the aging of stem cells and insufficient levels of androgens, says PubMed Central. However, our conclusions seem reasonably applicable to north Europeans and white North Americans in their seventies. Thus, it is not known whether elevated WBC count is involved directly in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases or is merely a risk indicator of other factors causing vascular damage [19]. B. Croft, L. S. Balluz, and A. H. Mokdad, “Associations between white blood cell count and risk for cerebrovascular disease mortality: NHANES II Mortality Study, 1976—1992,”, J. M. Willems, S. Trompet, G. J. Blauw, R. G. J. Westendorp, and A. J. M. de Craen, “White blood cell count and c-reactive protein are independent predictors of mortality in the oldest old,”, G. Nilsson, P. Hedberg, and J. Ohrvik, “Inflammation and the metabolic syndrome: clustering and impact on survival in a Swedish community-based cohort of 75 year olds,”, W. T. Friedewald, R. I. Causes include: Trauma. A low white blood cell count usually is caused by: Viral infections that temporarily disrupt the work of bone marrow; Certain disorders present at birth (congenital) that involve diminished bone marrow function; Cancer or other diseases that damage bone marrow; Autoimmune disorders that destroy white blood cells or bone marrow cells The oldest group (70–79 years) comprised 22% of the cohort, but no separate analyses were performed for this age group. Copyright © 2014 Göran Nilsson et al. Reasons for nonparticipation were accounted for and included a substantial fraction of individuals already under medical attention. There are many causes of neutropenia, and some medications can lead to this problem. These results confirmed that the hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, and hematocrit value decrease in the elderly subjects as they grow older and it may be considered that reduced ingestion of protein is one of the causes of the phenomenon. This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in … The excess mortality risk with increasing WBC count was similar to our results. Platelets are the blood cells responsible for blood clotting. Renal insufficiency associated with age is also a cause of low blood count. Göran Nilsson, Pär Hedberg, John Öhrvik, "White Blood Cell Count in Elderly Is Clinically Useful in Predicting Long-Term Survival", Journal of Aging Research, vol. All subjects gave their informed consent. The 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) was used to identify causes of death. The patients can also be suffering from malnutrition. When they stick together, they form blood clots that help stop the bleeding when you have a cut or wound. A low white blood cell count is the decrease in the cells that fight diseases. White blood cell (WBC) count is often included in routine clinical checkups. The aim of the present study was to determine the prognostic impact of WBC count on all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality during an 11-year followup in a general population of 75-year-olds. Margolis et al. A low blood count means that you have fewer red or white blood cells or fewer platelets in your body than normal. In men there were 48 deaths from cardiovascular causes and 60 from noncardiovascular causes (including 31 attributed to malignancy). 2014, Article ID 475093, 6 pages, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/475093, 1Centre for Clinical Research, Västmanland County Hospital, Uppsala University, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden, 2Department of Clinical Physiology, Västmanland County Hospital, 721 89 Västerås, Sweden, 3Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. 1. Results of an epidemiological survey,”, R. W. Alexander, “Inflammation and coronary artery disease,”, E. Gkrania-Klotsas, Z. Ye, A. J. Cooper et al., “Differential white blood cell count and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional and prospective studies,”, D. W. Ross, L. H. Ayscue, J. Watson, and S. A. Bentley, “Stability of hematologic parameters in healthy subjects. A low white blood cell count can signal that an injury or condition is destroying cells faster than they are being made, or that the body is producing too few of them. The most common causes of anemia in the elderly are chronic disease and iron deficiency. buildup of fluid called lymph in the tissues under your skin when something blocks its normal flow Higher white blood cell counts increased the risk of dying as did higher C-reactive protein levels. The prognostic ability of the WBC count for all-cause mortality was considerably better in women than in men, but the sex disparity did not reach statistical significance (). Three different models were assessed: model 1 unadjusted HR for WBC count, model 2 HR for WBC count adjusted for current smoking and known hypertension, and model 3 HR for WBC count adjusted for current smoking, known hypertension, prior myocardial infarction, known diabetes, total cholesterol, HDL-C, and BMI. It is well known that the WBC count is higher among men than among women [3, 13]. 3 doctors agree. A 47-year-old member asked: ... Low blood counts: Low red cells causes anemia. Sex-specific baseline characteristics of the study cohort according to survival status. The causes of low blood count in elderly patients include underlying diseases such as cancer or kidney failure, says WebMD. Consequently, clinically established risk factors among middle-aged people may not be applicable to elderly people, whereas other factors, exemplified by the WBC count, may assume greater importance. Only one individual (a man) was lost to followup (reason: migration). Four hundred thirty-two individuals (210 men and 222 women) finally accepted the invitation, corresponding to a participation rate of 70%. The sex disparity in the strength of the association between WBC count and other markers was assessed by including the interaction term between sex and WBC count in a regression model with the marker as dependent variable. Data from multiple observational studies have demonstrated that WBC count has an independent ability to predict all-cause mortality [1–4], cancer mortality [5, 6] and cardiovascular diseases and mortality [7]. Treating a low white blood cell count White blood cells (WBCs) fight infections from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens (organisms that cause infection). Alcoholism can also cause the white blood cell count to go down together with other nutrients in the body. 7 History Podcasts You Should Download Today, The Life of Sacagawea — and What Your History Book Didn't Tell You. The WBC count tends to cluster with other established risk factors such as tobacco smoking [14, 18] as well as HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides [9, 13]. The symptoms of anemia can be fatigue, dizziness, pallor, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The principal finding in the present community-based study of 75-year-olds is a considerable long-term prognostic significance of the basic WBC count, especially among women. Several different prescribed drugs, including chemotherapy, are known to decrease WBC production or destroy WBCs. Causes of death until November 1, 2008, were obtained from the Swedish Cause of Death Register. The restriction of the present investigation to one age class made it possible to leave age out of account as covariate, thereby enabling us to draw conclusions about WBC counts and mortality despite a relatively low number of participants in the study. By means of our data, the mortality risk among elderly people at different levels of basal WBC counts (Figure 1) can be estimated in a cost-effective manner during clinical checkups. What Is the Cause of Low Blood Count in Elderly Patients. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Modification of inflammatory reaction owing to the necessity of female acceptance of the genetically different fetal tissue during pregnancy may be one speculative reason for the sex disparity. In a 10-year followup of 705 men and women, more than 85 years old, in Leiden in The Netherlands, Willems et al. The corresponding figures for women were 32 deaths from cardiovascular causes and 35 from noncardiovascular causes (including 13 attributed to malignancy). The cause of death was unknown in one man and three women. Furthermore, increased WBC count was significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality in both sexes and with noncardiovascular mortality in women. Of note, this prognostic ability contrasts with the serum cholesterol’s lack of ability to predict all-cause mortality among the elderly [12]. By means of the Swedish population register, the study cohort was followed for all-cause mortality from the index examination in 1997 until November 1, 2008. You probably won’t notice any signs of leukopenia. In an additional analysis we excluded deaths within 5 years, thereby reasonably excluding prevalent severe disease at the time of inclusion in the study. Reasons for nonparticipation were: Unknown (), never reached (), unwilling due to diseases under treatment (), locomotive impairment (), language difficulties or logistical problems (), or died before examination (). Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a group of diverse bone marrow disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. In a severe bacterial infection, white blood cells that normally circulate in the bloodstream migrate to the site of the infection in large numbers, leading to a low white blood cell count in the blood. Study Population. Table 2 shows the Cox regression analyses of WBC count and all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality stratified by sex. Notably, the followup time for Weijenberg et al. The serum levels of TP, TC, and TG also declined with age in those over 60 years of age. To help you better understand MDS, it might be helpful to first consider some basics about bone marrow and blood. Renal insufficiency associated with age is also a cause of low blood count. A low hemoglobin count can also be due to blood loss, which can occur because of: Bleeding in your digestive tract, such as from ulcers, cancers or hemorrhoids. Underlying causes for a low white blood cell count can range from benign disorders, such as vitamin deficiencies, to more serious blood diseases, such as leukemia or lymphoma. A low platelet count occurs for several reasons. Reports [2, 8, 9] suggest that the predictive ability of the WBC counts also applies to the elderly but there is a need for further studies on this topic, particularly among elderly women.

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