• Kyriaki Karavanaki, Sophia Polychronopoulou, Maria Giannaki, Fotis Haliotis, Bettiina Sider, Maria Brisimitzi, C Dimitriou, G Scordias, F Marangou, A Stamatiadou, and S Avlonitis.
• 2nd Pediatric Department, Aghia Sopia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece. ekaranas@otenet.gr
• Acta Paediatr. 2006 May 1; 95 (5): 565-72.

AimThe aim of the study was to identify the relationship of acquired neutropenias with infections in childhood and to assess their course, complications, short and long-term outcome.MethodDuring a two-year period, all children admitted to the pediatric ward with neutropenia were investigated for underlying infections with indices of infection, cultures of body fluids and serological tests.ResultsSixty-seven previously healthy children, aged (median, 25-75%) 0.7 years (0.2-1.5), were identified with neutropenia (frequency: 2.0%). An infectious agent was identified in 34/67 cases (50.7%) (viral infection: n=24, bacterial: n=10). In 50/67 (74.6%) children, neutropenia recovered within 2 months (transient neutropenia, TN), while in 17/67 (25.4%) of them it persisted for more than two months. Two years after diagnosis 50/67 children (74.6%) accepted to be reassessed. Of these children, 8/50 (16%) remained neutropenic (neutropenic children, NC), while 42/50 had recovered completely.ConclusionNeutropenia during childhood is usually transient, often following viral and common bacterial infections, does not present serious complications and in the majority, it resolves spontaneously. However, in a significant percentage of patients, neutropenia is discovered during the course of an infection, on a ground of a preceding chronic neutropenic status.

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