An overview of neutrophil disorders and their diagnosis

Abstract

Neutrophil disorders are commonly encountered in clinical practice. However, these encompass a variety of different conditions with variable presentation, making neutrophil disorders a diagnostic challenge to most clinicians. These disorders can be better understood when approached by distinguishing between disorders affecting mainly neutrophil numbers or function and by identifying which normal neutrophil processes are affected. The choice of assays for investigation of neutrophil disorders depends on a variety of factors, for example family history, clinical and laboratory findings.1–3 This article aims to provide an overview of the clinical presentation and recommended diagnostic tests for the most important neutrophil disorders.