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Management of Infections in Neutropenic Patients

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Benign Hematologic Disorders in Children

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Abstract

Neutropenia is a decrease in the circulating pool of neutrophils. This may be secondary to margination, increased consumption following bacterial infection, antibody-mediated destruction, and bone marrow suppression due to viral infections, medications, or chemotherapy. The host with severe neutropenia is at risk of bacterial and fungal disease. In severe neutropenia, the inflammatory response is muted and, therefore, fever in a neutropenic host could be a sign of serious infection. Febrile neutropenia in children is a heterogeneous entity with potential for severe outcomes, and management of these children is based on clinical judgment in conjunction with physical and laboratory findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Shipra Gupta

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  1. Shipra Gupta
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Correspondence to Shipra Gupta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Deepak M. Kamat

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Melissa Frei-Jones

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Gupta, S. (2021). Management of Infections in Neutropenic Patients. In: Kamat, D., Frei-Jones, M. (eds) Benign Hematologic Disorders in Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49980-8_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49980-8_30

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-49980-8

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