leukopenia

leukopenia
—leukopenic, adj.
/looh'keuh pee"nee euh/, n. Med.
a decrease in the number of white blood cells in the blood.
Also, leucopenia. Also called leukocytopenia /looh'keuh suy'teuh pee"nee euh/.
[1895-1900; < NL leucopenia, equiv. to leuco- LEUKO- + Gk penía poverty, akin to pénesthai to be poor, toil; see -IA]

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▪ medical disorder
 abnormally low number of white blood cells (leukocytes (leukocyte)) in the blood circulation, defined as less than 5,000 leukocytes per cubic millimetre of blood. Leukopenia often accompanies certain infections (infectious disease), especially those caused by viruses or protozoans. Other causes of the condition include the administration of certain drugs (e.g., analgesics, antihistamines, and anticonvulsants), debilitation, malnutrition, chronic anemias (anemia), some spleen disorders, agranulocytosis, lupus erythematosus, and anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Leukopenia — (or leukocytopenia, or leucopenia, from Greek λευκό white and πενία deficiency) is a decrease in the number of circulating white blood cells (leukocytes) in the blood. As the principal function of white cells is to combat infection, a decrease in …   Wikipedia

  • leukopenia — leukopenia. См. лейкопения. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • leukopenia — [lo͞o΄kō pē′nē′ə, lo͞o΄kəpē′nē′ə] n. [ModL < leuko (var. of LEUCO ) + Gr penia, poverty] a decrease below normal in the number of leukocytes in the blood leukopenic adj …   English World dictionary

  • leukopenia — noun Etymology: New Latin Date: 1898 a condition in which the number of white blood cells circulating in the blood is abnormally low • leukopenic adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • leukopenia — noun an abnormally low count of leukocytes, or white blood cells, in the blood Syn: leukocytopenia …   Wiktionary

  • leukopenia — The antithesis of leukocytosis; any situation in which the total number of leukocytes in the circulating blood is less than normal, the lower limit of which is generally regarded as 4000–5000/mm3. SYN: leukocytopenia. [leuko(cyte) + G. penia,… …   Medical dictionary

  • leukopenia — ż I, DCMs. leukopenianii, blm med. «niedobór krwinek białych (leukocytów) we krwi» ‹n. łac. z gr.› …   Słownik języka polskiego

  • leukopenia — n. abnormal decrease in the number of white blood cells in the blood …   English contemporary dictionary

  • leukopenia — leu·ko·pe·nia …   English syllables

  • leukopenia — leu•ko•pe•ni•a or leu•co•pe•ni•a [[t]ˌlu kəˈpi ni ə[/t]] also leu•ko•cy•to•pe•ni•a [[t] ˌsaɪ tə [/t]] n. pat a decrease in the number of white blood cells in the blood • Etymology: 1895–1900 leu ko•pe′nic, adj …   From formal English to slang

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