Mobilization of the marginal pool of neutrophils with epinephrine. Results in healthy persons, patients with neutropenias, patients with neutrophilias, and patients with changes in neutrophil count induced by cancer chemotherapy
Jedrzejczak, W.W.; Sulek, K.; Siekierzynski, M.
Haematologica 64(5): 586-596
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0390-6078 PMID: 116919 Document Number: 151482
S.c. injection of epinephrine (E) produced an increase in the neutrophil count after 10-40 min, the magnitude of which was an index of the marginal pool of neutrophils. In healthy persons the initial count increased by between 25 and 79.5% with a mean 54.2 .+-. 16%. The per cent rise was significantly elevated in patients with neutropenias not known to be secondary to increased margination, strikingly elevated in neutropenias of splenomegaly and lowered in patients with neutrophilias. Examinations of patients with variations of neutrophil count induced by cancer chemotherapy confirmed that the per cent rise of neutrophil count after E administration was dependent on absolute neutrophil count, being lower when the patients were in neutrophilic phase and higher during neutropenic phase. No exact quantitative relationship could be established. The only precise criterion to identify pseudo-neutropenia with E test was confirmation in neutropenic patients, that maximal neutrophil value after E reached the low limit of the maximal neutrophil value in normals, i.e., 3.0 .times. 109/l. In a group of 31 cases with innocent neutropenia (normal bone marrow reserve), 9 (29%) were identified as pseudo-neutropenic.