Primary Splenic Neutropenia

Neutropenia can result from various causes, which include inhibition of granulopoiesis in the bone marrow, arrest of maturation and excessive destruction of neutrophils. It is also a common associated finding in other blood dyscrasias and in some infections and infectious diseases. Neutropenia that arises from depression of bone marrow often is associated with corresponding reduction of other elements formed in the marrow, for example, erythrocytes and platelets. This reduction occurs in the various types of aplastic anemia; in anemia secondary to roentgen and radium irradiation, to exposure to benzene and to the administration of various chemicals, such as derivatives of the benzene ring, arsphenamine, sulfonamide compounds and gold compounds, and in anemia in which the etiologic factor is unknown. The myelophthisic anemias that accompany myeloma, osteosclerosis, Hodgkin's disease, involvement of the marrow by metastatic carcinoma or tuberculosis, leukopenic forms of leukemia and Gaucher's disease often are associated with neutropenia. In