Ways To Treat And Prevent Neutropenia

Antibiotics For Fever

Fevers are common in patients with neutropenia, especially in patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients at risk for neutropenia should check their body temperature regularly. If a patient develops a fever of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, they should contact a doctor immediately. To assess the patient, physicians will do a physical exam to look for signs of infection such as mouth sores, redness, coughing, and phlegm. Blood tests will also be performed to check white blood cell count, and a chest x-ray may also be taken.

Antibiotics for fever are part of the standard approach to the treatment of neutropenia. Any patient with neutropenia who presents with a fever is automatically given antibiotics, and doctors work on the assumption the fever is caused by an underlying infection. This is true even if a cause for the fever cannot be found. Neutropenic patients receive their first doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics intravenously in the hospital, and remain there until the fever has subsided. Once patients return home, doctors may have them continue antibiotic treatment with oral antibiotics. Generally, doctors like to keep patients on antibiotic treatment for at least fourteen days or until their neutrophil count reaches a certain threshold.

Keep reading for more on effectively treating neutropenia.

Changing Medications

Some cases of neutropenia may develop due to the use of particular medications. In these situations, doctors will consider changing medications to resolve the neutropenia and reduce the risk of future episodes. Medications that commonly cause neutropenia include carbimazole, clozapine, methimazole, penicillin G, procainamide, propylthiouracil, dapsone, dipyrone, rituximab, sulfasalazine, and ticlopidine. Less commonly, neutropenia may be caused by some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and drugs that lower blood pressure and regulate heart rhythm.

Before starting any new medication, patients should ask their doctors if the medicine could lead to the development of neutropenia. If such a risk is present, patients may need to have regular blood tests to monitor their neutrophil count. Patients who struggle to maintain adequate neutrophil levels while on a particular medication will likely be switched to another one.

Get the details on the next treatment option for neutropenia.