![]() ![]() As a result, people taking cyclophosphamide need to have their white cell count checked regularly so that the drug dose can be adjusted if necessary. Cyclophosphamide, which is sometimes used to treat more severe conditions of lupus, such as kidney disease, can have this effect. High doses of certain drugs can also lower production of white blood cells, and this may decrease the body’s ability to fight infection. This means that there are enough of them to fight infection, especially those due to such viruses as influenza. Fortunately, this rarely causes a clinical problem because more white blood cells are made by the bone marrow. ![]() This is due to the presence of antibodies that destroy white blood cells. LeukopeniaĪ lower-than-normal white blood cell count, or leukopenia, is found on the full blood count in about 95 percent of lupus patients. In more severe cases, the person may become short of breath, even in the absence of lung disease, because there is not enough oxygen in the blood. Whatever the underlying cause of anemia, the end result is fatigue - a very common lupus symptom - and generally the first and most common symptom of anemia. Anemia is rarely caused by drugs, although this is possible. This usually occurs as a side effect of general inflammation in the body due to lupus. It is more common, though, to have anemia due to poor production of red cells in the bone marrow. Low red cell counts and the associated low level of hemoglobin in the blood can be the result of antibodies attacking the red cells and causing their destruction, a process called hemolytic anemia. ![]() Hemoglobin is the protein inside red cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all the tissues of the body. Anemia means that there are fewer red cells - and therefore less hemoglobin to carry oxygen - in the blood than there should be. Blood Conditions AnemiaĪ relatively common blood disorder in lupus is anemia, which may affect about half of all people with active disease. There are also special tests for assessing the clotting properties of blood. Platelets, which are involved in blood clotting (special proteins, called clotting factors, are also important)Ī full blood count test measures the amount of red cells and hemoglobin, white cells and platelets circulating in the blood.White cells (leukocytes), which fight infection and can be subdivided into several types (neutrophils and lymphocytes being particularly important).Red cells (erythrocytes), which contain the oxygen-carrying molecule hemoglobin.Such antibodies may be detected by lab testsīlood is made up of cells and serum, a liquid full of protein that also contains antibodies. Instead of combatting an unwanted foreign agent, such as bacteria or viruses (which is what normal antibodies do), the antibodies in lupus may be produced against our own proteins and cells, and may interfere with the normal function of body organs or tissue. Antibodies are proteins that recognize and bind to other proteins in the body. There is no single test for lupus, but the presence of certain antibodies in the blood can help confirm a lupus diagnosis. It is worth noting that problems in the blood (and other types of lupus activity, such as inflammation of the kidneys) can happen without any outward symptoms. Some important blood issues in lupus include low hemoglobin or red blood cells (anemia), low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia), and excess blood clotting (thrombosis). Many of the clinical and laboratory manifestations of lupus concern the cells and clotting factors that circulate in the blood. Where to Go, Division of Power in Canadaīlood disorders are common in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus).Lupus Canada Fall 2022 Advocacy Campaign. ![]()
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