Leukocytosis is an increased number of white blood cells (leukocytes), the most common but not the only cause of this condition is infection. It is worth finding out what leukocytes are, what their function is and what conditions should be taken into account when there is an excess of them. Learn the causes, symptoms and treatments for leukocytosis.
Leukocytosisis a fairly broad concept - that's because leukocytes (white blood cells) have many fractions that specialize in fighting different pathogens and are responsible for different types of immune responses.
Leukocytosis generally tells us that the number of white blood cells is too high, but it does not inform which group this increase is related to. More narrow terms are, respectively, the following populations: neutrophilia, lymphocytosis, eosinophilia, basophilia, monocytosis. Due to the dominant percentage of the first two, they are most often responsible for leukocytosis.
Contents:
- Leukocytosis: causes
- Leukocytosis: norms
- Leukocytosis: treatment
Leukocytosis: causes
Do elevated leukocytes always indicate a serious illness?
The increase in the number of leukocytes, as well as their individual groups, results from the functions they perform, it often indicates an infection (both acute and chronic) - we can find out what pathogen it is by checking which group of leukocytes is in excess .
Another cause of leukocytosis, especially very high (over 30,000), may be a blood proliferative disease - leukemia or lymphoma.
This condition is less frequently observed during pregnancy, in obese people, after seizures, surgery and trauma.
Also other serious diseases can increase the number of white blood cells, e.g. malignant tumors, chronic inflammatory diseases.
The very common causes of the increase in white blood cells are completely trivial, caused by improper preparation for the test - intense physical exertion, eating a meal, high emotional stress, or smoking before blood sampling.
The cause of the increase in leukocytes after exercise is very interesting, it is because some of the blood cells belong to the so-called wall pool. They stand ready attached to the wall of the blood vessels, so they are not aspirated into the test tube when they collect blood. During exercisephysical, faster blood flow causes the detachment of some of them, which artificially increases their amount, so you should not take up vigorous exercise the day before the test, and even less on the day of the test.
Similarly, you should not smoke cigarettes, and the last meal is best to eat around 6.00 p.m. on the day before blood collection.
Incorrect leukocyte count results are usually verified by repeated testing, thanks to which it is possible to eliminate laboratory errors resulting from incorrect preparation for the test or incorrect determinations.
Accidentally detected leukocytosis most often prompts you to look for an infection, primarily bacterial.
Worth knowingLeukocytes: norms
The morphology of peripheral blood informs us about the amount of individual blood components: red blood cells (marked as RBC) and their parameters, platelets (PLT) and just about leukocytes (WBC) along with the number of their fractions.
White blood cells include:
- neutrophils (60-70% of all leukocytes),
- eosinophils (2-4%),
- basophils (0-1%),
- lymphocytes (20-48%),
- monocytes (4-8%).
Leukocytosis is when the number of white blood cells rises above the upper limit of normal, they are variable and may differ depending on the laboratory, but mostly their number is in the range of 4000-10000 / μl. A more detailed examination is the blood count with a smear, thanks to which we assess the appearance of individual blood cells.
Leukocytosis: types
Leukocytosis is a very general concept that gives only a general picture of the patient, much more tells us which fraction is in excess.
Neutrophilia may indicate bacterial infections, injuries (e.g. burns, hemorrhages), taking certain medications (e.g. glucocorticosteroids), but also result from ongoing leukemia. Lymphocytosis occurs mainly in viral diseases, less often myeloma, leukemia or tuberculosis.
Basophilia, eosinophilia and monocytosis are observed only exceptionally, they occur in such conditions as: proliferative diseases, allergic diseases, bacterial infections.
It is worth remembering that a single incorrect result is usually not a cause for concern, especially if the parameter change is small.
Such a determination is most often verified with another test to eliminate laboratory errors, and if the result repeats, more detailed diagnostics is often necessary.
The morphology of peripheral blood is an auxiliary test, and the diagnosis of the disease is determined by the whole pictureclinical symptoms, mainly clinical symptoms. A diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma can never be made on the basis of a blood count!
Leukocytosis: treatment
There is no one standard procedure for treating an excess of white blood cells. First of all, it is necessary to determine whether this increase is due to a pathological condition in the body or from an incorrect labeling.
Based on the symptoms and results of other tests, the most likely diagnosis can be made and treatment appropriate to the underlying disease can be implemented.
If the entire clinical picture indicates a bacterial infection, the most common treatment is antibiotic therapy, in the case of viral diseases, we rarely have the option of treatment against these microorganisms, but so-called non-specific methods can be used.
If very serious diseases are suspected - lymphoma or leukemia, a very thorough diagnosis is necessary, often including bone marrow biopsy, the treatment of these diseases is chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Regardless of the cause of the disease, subsequent morphology tests and the observation of changes in the number of their population are used to monitor the progress of the disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Leukocytes defend our body against infections, each of them is responsible for fighting a different type of pathogen. The increase in the number of leukocytes is called leukocytosis, both physiological processes and various pathologies, most often infections, can lead to it.
It is worth remembering that slight deviations from the norm in the number of white blood cells are usually not dangerous, but each blood count result should be consulted with a doctor.
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What are leukocytes?
White blood cells are responsible for the immunity of our body, most of them are formed in the bone marrow. Depending on the microscopic structure, they were divided into two main groups: granulocytes and agranulocytes.
The first includes neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils. They contain granules with various enzymes, thanks to which they can do their job.
Neutrophils are responsible for defense against microbes - they migrate towards the focus of inflammation, sites of bacterial multiplication and necrosis. They fulfill these functions due to the ability to diaperesis (passing through the vessel wall) and chemotaxis(attraction to certain substances), degranulation (release of granules) and phagocytosis (absorption of pathogens).
Eosinophils are responsible for the fight against parasites and for some allergic reactions.
Basophils, on the other hand, are involved in hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis reactions.
Agranulocytes are mainly lymphocytes, and a much smaller group of monocytes. The first of them arise not only in the bone marrow, but also in the lymph nodes, thymus and spleen, their main function is to fight viral infections by activating the immune system and producing antibodies, including the so-called memory cells.
The last group - monocytes - regulates immune responses, and also has the ability to phagocytose pathogens.