A case report of pseudoleukopenia: playing hide-and-seek

Abstract Objectives Routine blood examination, one of the most commonly performed tests in clinical laboratories, directly reflects the overall state of the body such as inflammation, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. The accuracy of these indicators by tests may be perturbed by various factors including anticoagulants, antibodies, and temperatures. Pseudoleukopenia caused by leukoagglutination was rarely described in the literature. Case presentation We report a rare and unusual pseudo-leukopenia case of a 75-year-old female with a stroke. Blood samples from the patient were collected using different anticoagulants and determined the hematologic parameters and blood smears. We observed the extent of leukocyte aggregation at different anticoagulants or temperatures. The intensity of leukoagglutination was attenuated after incubating at 37 °C for 30 min. After anti-infection treatment and symptomatic treatment, the leukoagglutination of the patient gradually weakened. Conclusions We have found the reason for the pseudo-leukopenia and the leukocyte aggregation phenomenon may vary with disease progression.