Neutropenia is defined as:

• A. Low white blood cell count
• B. High neutrophil count
• C. Low neutrophil count
• D. Elevated eosinophils

Answer: (C)

Neutropenia is about a deficiency of neutrophils, the most abundant type of white blood cell that acts as the first line of defense against bacterial infections. When the neutrophil count drops below the normal range, the body’s ability to fight infections is reduced, which is why neutropenia is clinically important. The term itself breaks down into “neutro-” (neutrophils) and “-penia” (deficiency), so it directly describes a low neutrophil count.

A high neutrophil count would be neutrophilia, not neutropenia. A low total white blood cell count would be leukopenia, which is a broader decrease affecting several white cell types, not specifically neutrophils. Elevated eosinophils describe eosinophilia, a rise in a different kind of white blood cell.