Prevalence of Neutropenia in a Cohort of Adult Population in Qatar: Relation to Other Hematological Parameters and Anthropometric Data

Abstract: Neutropenia, defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) below 1.5 × 109/L, encompasses a wide range of diagnoses, from normal variants to life-threatening acquired and congenital disorders.The prevalence of neutropenia and associated hematological parameters in Arab males and females coming for blood donation was not studied before in Qatar. Neutropenia, usually defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) below 1.5 × 109/L (1500/mm3), encompasses a wide range of diagnoses, from normal variants to life-threatening acquired and congenital disorders. The functional consequences depend largely, but not exclusively, on the severity of neutropenia. ANC of 1.0-1.5 × 109/L does not impair host defence but may warrant investigation of the underlying cause. However, ANC of 0.5-1.0 × 109/L may slightly increase the risk of infections, but only if other arms of the immune system are impaired. ANC of 0.2-0.5 × 109/L is associated with an increased risk of infections in most patients. ANC of 0.2 × 109/L or less (often referred to as “agranulocytosis”) carries a risk of severe, life-threatening infections with susceptibility to opportunistic organisms. Healthy Caucasian and Asian populations generally have ANCs of 1.5 to 7.0 × 109/L. Persons of African descent, however, may have lower normal neutrophil counts, with ANC Aim and Objective: To provide baseline information regarding the prevalence and spectrum of neutropenia in random large samples (n = 600) of non-prospective Arab blood donors. Materials and Methods: Complete blood count (CBC) of all non-prospective blood donors (n =600) was performed in 600 Arab healthy Adults (Age >18 years to Results: The prevalence of Neutropenia (ANC) below 1.5 × 109/L)in 600 non-prospective adult Arab blood donors (200 females and 400 males, age >18 y : 1.5× 109/L.In males, the neutropenic grouphad significantly lower Hb level and hematocrit value, and lower total WBC, lymphocyte, and basophil counts (p 1.5× 109/L. Significant correlations were found between the ANC and Hb (r = 0.33, p Conclusion: The prevalence of neutropenia is considerably high in Arab adult females compared to other ethnic groups and it is significantly higher in females compared to males. Besides the genetic constitution for Arabs , the lower Hb and high RDW in females with neutropenia suggested that iron deficiency is factor in the production of this neutropenia. Key words: Prevalence, Neutropenia, Anemia, Adults, Arabs, ANC. Download : Download high-res image (634KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.