Certification in Infection Prevention and Control (CIC) Practice Exam 2025 - Free CIC Practice Questions and Study Guide

A decrease in lymphocyte count is typically associated with immunodeficiency. In this context, immunodeficiency can result from a variety of factors, such as certain viral infections, bone marrow problems, or genetic defects. Lymphocytes, a key component of the immune system, play a crucial role in the body's response to infections and in maintaining the immune response. In conditions associated with immunodeficiency, the body struggles to adequately produce or retain these lymphocytes, leading to a lower count.

While sepsis can sometimes lead to alterations in white blood cell counts, it usually results in a more complex and varied response that can include an increase in some types of white blood cells or a mixed response depending on the phase of the disease. In contrast, conditions that reflect a more significant or chronic decrease in lymphocyte levels, such as certain immunodeficiencies or significant viral infections, would show a more pronounced drop in lymphocyte counts.

Chronic bacterial infections typically elicit an increase in neutrophils, not a decrease in lymphocytes, while viral infections often present with a normal or sometimes increased lymphocyte count. Hence, the association of a decreased lymphocyte count is most accurately made with conditions characterized by some form of immunodeficiency.