Giant platelets, and sometimes thrombocytopenia are associated with this. The anomaly is usually benign but may be associated with bleeding. The Chediak-Higashi syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive condition associated with abnormally large leukocyte granules resulting from fusion of lysozymes. This disorder may affect granulocytes, leukocytes, and monocytes. Chemotaxis and phagocytosis is defective.
Platelets lack dense granules and platelet function is abnormal.
Giant melanosomes in occular and skin tissues result in hypopigmentation. Patients with mucopolysaccharidoses lack the lysozymal enzymes necessary to break down mucopolysaccharides. Dense azurophilic granules, resembling toxic granulation in neutrophils, are seen in all leukocytes. Most characteristic of these disorders are the metachromatic granules surrounded by a clear zone seen in lymphocytes. You should now be aware of the major causes and mechanisms, and clinical manifestations of leukocytoses and leukocytopenias.