What finding is most consistent in patients with a stress leukogram?

In patients presenting with a stress leukogram, lymphopenia is a key and consistent finding. A stress leukogram is often a response to physiological stress, typically involving an increase in cortisol levels that can lead to various changes in white blood cell distribution. In this context, lymphopenia occurs due to the redistribution of lymphocytes out of the bloodstream and into lymphoid tissues or because of decreased production in response to elevated corticosteroid levels. This results in a reduced number of circulating lymphocytes, which is a hallmark of a stress response.

While neutrophilia is also commonly seen in stress leukograms and can be indicative of a response to acute inflammation or stress, lymphopenia is more definitive in reflecting the effects of stress on the immune system. Eosinophilia and monocytosis, on the other hand, are not typically associated with stress responses and therefore do not align with the clinical picture of a stress leukogram.