Treatment:

The source of the infection should be identified and treated.

In many cases, nonsevere neutropenia goes away on its own as the bone marrow recovers and begins to produce enough white blood cells.

In rare cases when the neutrophil count is low enough to be life threatening, the following treatments may be recommended:

• Medicines to stimulate white blood cell production
• Antibodies from donated blood samples (intravenous immune globulin)

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome of the baby depends on the underlying cause of the neutropenia. Some infections in newborns can be life threatening. However, most infections usually do not cause long-term side effects after the neutropenia goes away or is successfully treated.