Autoimmune neutropenia (AIN) is a form of neutropenia which is most common in infants and young children where the body identifies the neutrophils as enemies and makes antibody to destroy them. Primary autoimmune neutropenia, another name for autoimmune neutropenia, is an autoimmune disease first reported in 1975 that primarily occurs in infancy. In autoimmune neutropenia, the immune system produces autoantibodies directed against the neutrophilic protein antigens in white blood cells known as granulocytic neutrophils, granulocytes, segmented neutrophils, segs, polysegmented neutrophils, or polys. These antibodies, IgG antibodies, destroy granulocytic neutrophils. Consequently, patients with autoimmune neutropenia have low levels of granulocytic neutrophilic white blood cells causing a condition of neutropenia. Neutropenia causes an increased risk of infection from organisms that the body could normally fight easily. Primary autoimmune neutropenia has been reported as early as the second month of life although most cases are diagnosed in children between 5 and 15 months of age. Girls have a slightly higher risk of developing AIN than boys as well as do people of Caucasian background. In neutropenia discovered at birth or shortly after birth, a diagnosis of allo-immune neutropenia (from maternal white blood cell antibodies passively transferred to the infant) is more likely. In infants neutropenia is defined by absolute neutrophil counts less than 1000/uL. After the first year of life neutropenia is defined by absolute counts less than 1500/uL. Neutropenia may be primary in which it is the only blood abnormality seen. In secondary neutropenia, other primary conditions occur, including other autoimmune diseases, infections, and cancers.
In general, the child needs to stay in the hospital for 1 day and the healing is complete within 8 days.At times, there may be a fleshy red swelling seen in the hollow of the umbilicus that persists after the cord has fallen off. It may bleed on touch, or may stain the clothes that come in contact with it. This needs to be shown to a pediatric surgeon. This is most likely to be an umbilical polyp and the therapy is to tie it at the base with a stitch so that it falls off and there is no bleeding. Alternatively, it may be an umbilical granuloma that responds well to local application of dry salt or silver nitrate but may take a few weeks to heal and dry. Adults
Many hernias never cause any problems, and do not require any treatment at all. However, because the risk of complications with age are higher and the hernia is unlikely to resolve without treatment, surgery is usually recommended.Usually hernia has content of bowel, abdominal fat or omentum, tissue that normally would reside inside the abdominal cavity if it wasnt for the hernia. In some cases, the content gets trapped in the hernia sac, outside the abdominal wall. The blood flow to this trapped tissue may be compromised, or the content even strangulated in some cases. Depending on the severity and duration of blood flow compromise, it can cause some pain and discomfort.