It lives for a mere 5 days.
It migrates towards the 'bad guys' by following the signals of substances including IL-8.
It valiantly phagocytoses bacteria.
MRCP examiners enjoy asking questions about low and high levels of neutrophils...
Neutropenia = low neutrophil count
Causes:
- viral infection
- severe sepsis
- bone marrow failure
- neutrophil antibodies (eg SLE, haemolytic anaemia)
- drugs - chemotherapy, carbimazole
Neutrophilia = raised neutrophil count.
Causes:
- bacterial infection
- MI
- steroids
- pregnancy
- uraemia
- acidosis
- gout
- myeloproliferative disorders
That's all the hard work done for today; for some light relief click this link
