leukemoid reaction

Pronunciation: lū-kē′moyd rē-ak′shŭn

Definition: A moderate, advanced, or sometimes extreme degree of leukocytosis in the circulating blood, similar to that occurring in various forms of leukemia, but not the result of leukemic disease; usually, there is a disproportionate increase in the number of forms (including immature stages) in one series of leukocytes, and various examples of myelocytic, lymphocytic, monocytic, or plasmocytic leukemoid reaction may be also indistinguishable from leukocytosis that is associated with certain forms of leukemia. Leukemoid reactions are sometimes observed as a feature of: 1) infectious disease caused by certain bacteria and other biologic agents, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and chickenpox; 2) intoxication of various types, eclampsia, serious burns, and mustard gas poisoning; 3) malignant neoplasms, carcinoma of the colon, of the lung, of the kidney, or of other organs; 4) acute hemorrhage or hemolysis.

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