A decrease in white blood cells is called what?

A decrease in white blood cells is called what?

• A. Leukocytosis
• B. Leukopenia
• C. Erythrocytosis
• D. Thrombocytopenia

Answer: (B)

A decrease in white blood cells is described by the term leukopenia. Here, leuko- means white and -penia indicates a deficiency, so it specifically refers to a lower-than-normal white blood cell count, which can raise infection risk. The other terms describe different situations: leukocytosis means there are too many white blood cells, erythrocytosis means too many red blood cells, and thrombocytopenia means too few platelets. So leukopenia best matches the situation of a reduced white blood cell count.

A decrease in white blood cells is described by the term leukopenia. Here, leuko- means white and -penia indicates a deficiency, so it specifically refers to a lower-than-normal white blood cell count, which can raise infection risk. The other terms describe different situations: leukocytosis means there are too many white blood cells, erythrocytosis means too many red blood cells, and thrombocytopenia means too few platelets. So leukopenia best matches the situation of a reduced white blood cell count.