Low white blood cell count is called leukopenia. Due to mast cell involvement in many bodily processes, leukopenia can occur for many reasons.
Reasons for leukopenia:
- Bone marrow suppression
- Disorder of white cell production or white cell precursors
- Proliferative disease of other cell types in the bone marrow
- Mechanical destruction of white blood cells, as in splenomegaly (swollen spleen)
Some conditions that interfere with making enough white blood cells:
- Certain infections, such as tuberculosis, malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease and viral infections
- Sepsis
- Nutritional deficiency, such as low copper or zinc
- Nutritional toxicity of certain minerals, such as arsenic
Some proliferative diseases that interfere with making white blood cells:
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Myelofibrosis
Conditions that affect white cell precursors:
- Aplastic anemia
- Myelodysplastic syndrome
- Damage to precursors by radiation exposure or chemotherapy
Conditions that cause damage to white cells:
- Splenomegaly, swollen spleen
- Lupus
Medications that interfere with making enough white blood cells:
- Immunosuppressants, like mycophenolate, cyclosporine and TNF blockers
- Interferon preparations, like Betaseron
- Other medications like clozapine, bupropion, minocycline, lamotrigine and valproic acid
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation