Which of the following is a risk factor for agranulocytosis?

Which of the following is a risk factor for agranulocytosis?

• A. Older age
• B. Younger age
• C. No risk factors
• D. Male gender

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that advancing age increases the likelihood of agranulocytosis. As people get older, their bone marrow has less reserve to compensate when a drug suppresses neutrophil production, making neutrophil counts drop more easily to dangerous levels. Older adults also tend to be on more medications, including ones known to affect white blood cell production, which adds to the risk. This combination—weaker marrow reserve and greater drug exposure—helps explain why older age is a recognized risk factor for agranulocytosis. In contrast, younger age doesn’t carry the same vulnerability, and while sex differences can occur with specific drugs, male gender isn’t a universal risk factor across all cases. Saying there are no risk factors ignores the well-established association with age and certain myelosuppressive medications.

The main idea is that advancing age increases the likelihood of agranulocytosis. As people get older, their bone marrow has less reserve to compensate when a drug suppresses neutrophil production, making neutrophil counts drop more easily to dangerous levels. Older adults also tend to be on more medications, including ones known to affect white blood cell production, which adds to the risk. This combination—weaker marrow reserve and greater drug exposure—helps explain why older age is a recognized risk factor for agranulocytosis. In contrast, younger age doesn’t carry the same vulnerability, and while sex differences can occur with specific drugs, male gender isn’t a universal risk factor across all cases. Saying there are no risk factors ignores the well-established association with age and certain myelosuppressive medications.