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What does a low white blood cell count in a toddler mean?

White blood cells are the body's defense against infections and disease. In every drop of human blood there are approximately one-half a million white blood cells. They are formed by the body's bone marrow and become active when a disease, infection, or foreign object threatens the body.

A low white blood cell count in a toddler can be caused by several things. Bone marrow failure, lupus, diseases of the liver or spleen, and radiation can all cause a low white blood cell count in a toddler. However, one of the primary reasons a toddler will have a low white blood cell count is chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is designed to kill rapidly growing cancer cells. However, the chemotherapy also kills white blood cells thus lowering the toddler's white blood cell count. Without normal levels of white blood cells, the toddler undergoing chemotherapy is particularly susceptible to infections. A fever, or some other sign of infection should be reported to the child's physician right away as the toddler on chemotherapy no longer has adequate defenses to fight off even the common cold.

A toddler with a low white blood count on chemotherapy will be given certain medications to help them fight off any infections, whether viral or bacterial. In addition, they may have to be hospitalized in order to prevent the infection from becoming a life-threatening illness. In addition, special care is required for the teeth and the mouth of a toddler with a low white blood cell count as infections and bleeding can occur quickly in this area of the body.

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