Quote:
Originally Posted by Bossywife
Is someone with MDS RAEB-1 considered immune compromised?
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Not necessarily. Being immunocompromised (at risk of infection) isn't a yes/no question. It's a sliding scale from normal to low risk to medium risk to higher risk to highest risk. Typically, the assessment is made based on a blood test known as a differential, which shows the percentages or quantities of various types of white cells. The doctor who orders your routine CBC (complete blood cell count) may ask for a differential test too.
You can ask for a copy of your blood test results, including any differential that's performed. You'll probably see measures on it with names like POLY, NEUT, SEGS, BANDS, EOS, BASO, LYMPH, or MONO.
The risk of infection is called neutropenia. The differential lets you and your doctor assess your
Absolute Neutrophil Count, which can be used to classify your risk of infection as normal, mild neutropenia, moderate neutropenia, or severe neutropenia.
To help patients understand their differential results,
Marrowforums provides an
ANC Calculator. Feel free to try it out, and let us know what ANC number and risk level it shows.