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Leukemoid reaction and chronic lung disease in infants with very low birth weight
T Nakamura1, S Ezaki, J Takasaki
1Center for Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical School, Kawagoe, Japan.
Objectives:
To analyze the relationship between the leukemoid reaction and chronic lung disease in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants.
Methods:
Neonates born weighing less than 1500 g without evidence of congenital anomalies and admitted to our hospital from October 1985 to December 1999 comprised our study. Leukemoid reaction was defined as a peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count of > or = 50 x 10(3)/microl. The infants who demonstrated a leukemoid reaction formed the study group, while the remainder formed the control group. The relationship between neonatal variables and WBC counts was studied.
Results:
Fourteen of the 486 infants demonstrated WBC counts of > or = 50 x 10(3)/microl, with an incidence of 2.9%. Univariate analysis demonstrated a significant association between a leukemoid reaction and chronic lung disease following intrauterine infection.
Conclusion:
A leukemoid reaction was observed in 2.9% of VLBW infants in our neonatal intensive care unit. A significant association was demonstrated between the leukemoid reaction and chronic lung disease following intrauterine infection.