title: Neutropenia in childhood: a 5-year experience at a tertiary center.
abstract: Clinical characteristics corroborated by laboratory investigations are essential to determine the etiology in cases of childhood neutropenia and the level of future health-care needs. Here the presentation, findings, and need of interventions in different types of neutropenia in children followed at our center from 2007 to 2012 were investigated retrospectively. Children with congenital and autoimmune neutropenia presented at a significantly younger age and with lower absolute neutrophil granulocyte counts than those with other types of neutropenia (p < 0.01-0.05). The duration of neutropenia, in case of remission, was shorter in post-infection and drug-induced cases compared to autoimmune and chronic idiopathic neutropenias (p = 0.001). Least affected from infections were children with ethnic and post-infection neutropenias compared to the others (p = 0.01-0.05). With the exception of congenital and autoimmune neutropenias, neutropenic children had few clinical infections and few hospital admissions even though the outpatient visit frequency was similar among the groups. A vast majority of the patients received no antibiotic prophylaxis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of patients with pediatric neutropenia, apart from congenital types, display a benign clinical course. Our data suggest that most neutropenic children need neither antibiotic prophylaxis nor extensive medical attention.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, SE-141 86, Stockholm, Sweden, henke205@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Henric
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lindqvist
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moell
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winiarski
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sundin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor