page_title: Neutropenia
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Neutropenia / Diagnosis / Classification
caption_attribution_description: English: Neutrophil
context_page_description: Neutropenia is an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils in the blood. Neutrophils make up the majority of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria, bacterial fragments and immunoglobulin-bound viruses in the blood. People with neutropenia are more susceptible to bacterial infections and, without prompt medical attention, the condition may become life-threatening.
  Neutropenia can be divided into congenital and acquired, with severe congenital neutropenia and cyclic neutropenia being autosomal dominant and mostly caused by heterzygous mutations in the ELANE gene. Neutropenia can be acute or chronic. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with "leukopenia".
  Decreased production of neutrophils is associated with deficiencies of vitamin B12 and folic acid, aplastic anemia, tumors, drugs, metabolic disease, nutritional deficiency and immune mechanisms. In general, the most common oral manifestations of neutropenia include ulcer, gingivitis, and periodontitis. Agranulocytosis can be presented as whitish or greyish necrotic ulcer in oral cavity, without any sign of inflammation.
context_section_description: Generally accepted reference range for absolute neutrophil count (ANC) in adults is 1500 to 8000 cells per microliter (µl) of blood. Three general guidelines are used to classify the severity of neutropenia based on the ANC (expressed below in cells/µl):
  Mild neutropenia (1000 <= ANC < 1500): minimal risk of infection
  Moderate neutropenia (500 <= ANC < 1000): moderate risk of infection
  Severe neutropenia (ANC < 500): severe risk of infection.
  Each of these are either derived from laboratory tests or via the formula below:
  ANC =
caption: Neutrophil
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