An infant case of neutropenia developed repeated omphalitis: a case report.
We report on a case of autoimmune neutropenia of infancy (ANI). A seven-month-old girl was referred to our hospital because of repeated omphalitis. Her reddish and swollen umbilicus stiffened and drained a little pus. Ultrasonograhy revealed a subcutaneous mass caused by inflammation. She was admitted because of moderate fever and appetite loss. However, a blood exam disclosed a decrease in neutrophils which reached zero the next day. Detection of antineutrophil antibody led us to a diagnosis of ANI. Although the inflammation was resolved and she left the hospital, she suffered from omphalitis again three months later. At that time we resected the urachus under a diagnosis of urachal remnant. The postoperative course was favorable and her neutrophil level has gradually been returning to normal with age. ANI is relatively rare disease and patients with it experience repetition of infectious disease, but it is not a particularly grave. We recognized once again that care should be taken regarding the possibility of an immunodeficient disorder in every infant with repeated infection.
