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What Causes Pneumonia After Being Treated For Cancer?
My grandmother has cancer and is taking treatments. The last time that she went into have treatment her blood work came out perfect. My grandfather took her to the er today and they said that she has pneumonia and her white blood count is 1.3. Would the pneumonia cause her white blood count to be so low? If not what could be the cause?
Thu, 10 Mar 2016
Hello and welcome to HCM,
In general cancers are associated with weakened immunity and tendency to acquire infections.
This is true in leukemias or blood cancers, however, you have not mentioned the type of cancer that your grandmother is suffering from.
In case, she is suffering from leukemia or blood cancer, then in that case, white blood cells are decreased in number due to which infection fighting capacity of body is decreased.
This causes increased tendency to acquire bacterial infection.
Pneumonia is a bacterial infection and poor immunity is the probable cause of acquiring pneumonia.
Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri
In general cancers are associated with weakened immunity and tendency to acquire infections.
This is true in leukemias or blood cancers, however, you have not mentioned the type of cancer that your grandmother is suffering from.
In case, she is suffering from leukemia or blood cancer, then in that case, white blood cells are decreased in number due to which infection fighting capacity of body is decreased.
This causes increased tendency to acquire bacterial infection.
Pneumonia is a bacterial infection and poor immunity is the probable cause of acquiring pneumonia.
Thanks and take care
Dr Shailja Puri
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