agranulocytic

9.9

Having very few white blood cells that fight infection

adjective
/ˌeɪɡrəˌnjuːləˈsaɪtɪk/

Specialized

: agranulocítico

The patient developed an agranulocytic reaction after taking the medication.

Examples

People with agranulocytic conditions are especially vulnerable to infections.
Doctors are concerned about agranulocytic reactions in chemotherapy patients.
Doctors monitored his white blood cell count for signs of an agranulocytic disorder.
Patients with agranulocytic conditions require careful monitoring.
Doctors monitored his white blood cell count for signs of an agranulocytic disorder.
People with agranulocytic conditions are especially vulnerable to infections.
Patients with agranulocytic conditions require careful monitoring.

Surface Forms

agranulocytic positive

Morphology

agranulocytic = agranulocyte (semi-transparent) = a + granul + cyt + ic

The word is derived from 'agranulocyte', meaning 'relating to or affected by a lack of granulocytes', which may not be immediately clear to learners without medical knowledge.

Etymology

Agranulocytic breaks into parts that make it easy to remember: a- means 'without', granul- comes from granule meaning 'small grain', and -cytic means 'cell'. So agranulocytic describes a lack of 'grain-like' cells — a shortage of granulocytes, the white blood cells with tiny granules, which is why someone who is agranulocytic is more likely to get infections.