Agranulocytosis

[5] The atypical antipsychotic clozapine in particular is largely restricted to treatment-resistant cases and mandatory blood count monitoring in most countries.[6] Although the reaction is generally idiosyncratic rather than proportional, experts recommend that patients using these drugs be told about the symptoms of agranulocytosis-related infection, such as a sore throat and a fever.[citation needed] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traced outbreaks of agranulocytosis among cocaine users, in the US and Canada between March 2008 and November 2009, to the presence of levamisole in the drug supply.The Drug Enforcement Administration reported that, as of February 2010, 71% of seized cocaine lots coming into the US contained levamisole as a cutting agent.To formally diagnose agranulocytosis, other pathologies with a similar presentation must be excluded, such as aplastic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, myelodysplasia and leukemias.
agranulocytesSpecialtyHematologyimmunologySymptomsRigorssore throatinfectionComplicationsSepsisIdiosyncratic reactions to certain drugsRisk factorsCocaineDiagnostic methodComplete blood countbone marrow examinationDifferential diagnosisAplastic anemiaparoxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuriamyelodysplasialeukemiawhite blood cellleukopenianeutrophilsneutropeniaone major classsuppressed immune systemgranulocytesbasophilseosinophilsasymptomaticpneumoniaurinary tract infectionantiepilepticscarbamazepinevalproatecarbimazolethiamazolepropylthiouracilpenicillinchloramphenicoltrimethoprim/sulfamethoxazoleH2 blockersbenazeprilcytotoxic drugsgold saltsaminophenazoneindomethacinnaproxenphenylbutazonemetamizolemebendazoleallopurinolmianserinmirtazapineantipsychoticsclozapineCenters for Disease Control and PreventionlevamisoleDrug Enforcement Administrationcutting agentantihelminthicleukemiaspromyelocytesgranulocytegranulocytopeniaabsolute neutrophil countseosinopeniabasopeniaT cellsNK cellsspleenTransfusion of granulocytesGranulocytosiseMedicineDiseasesDBSNOMED CTMedlinePlusmonocytesmacrophages-cytosisMonocytosisHistiocytosisChronic granulomatous disease-peniaMonocytopeniaNeutrophiliaEosinophiliaHypereosinophilic syndromeBasophiliaBandemiaSevere congenital neutropeniaCyclic neutropeniaDisorder of phagocytosisChemotaxisdegranulationLeukocyte adhesion deficiencyChédiak–Higashi syndromeNeutrophil-specific granule deficiencyRespiratory burstNeutrophil immunodeficiency syndromeMyeloperoxidase deficiency