What Autoimmune Disorders Cause Low White Blood Cell Count – Low white blood cell count is a condition where the number of white blood cells in your body becomes very low. White blood cells (also called leukocytes) are part of the immune system, and are cells that protect your body from infection by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Low white blood cell count is also known as leukopenia.

White blood cells are very important for health. Life is impossible without them. Disease-causing microorganisms are virtually everywhere, but most people do not get sick because they have enough white blood cells to provide protection. A low number of white blood cells often means there is a problem with the body, so it is not considered normal.

What Autoimmune Disorders Cause Low White Blood Cell Count

There are many types of white blood cells. Each has its own specific purposes and different life spans. These include monocytes (transform into other white blood cells), lymphocytes (release antibodies, regulate immunity, and kill infected human cells), basophils (initiate inflammatory responses), eosinophils (kill parasites, and allergens). trigger reactions), and neutrophils (the main killers of bacteria and fungi).

Tuesday Q And A: Numerous Conditions Can Lead To Low White Blood Cell Count

Our body constantly produces millions of different white blood cells to replace damaged or dead cells. That is why their numbers remain relatively stable most of the time. The immune system is efficient in regulating the number of white blood cells activity, increasing or decreasing the number of a particular type as required in the situation. Even in those moments when we put ourselves at risk, such as eating dirty or spoiled food, breathing dust full of microorganisms, being in crowded places, or in places like airplanes, gyms, or hospitals. But, we don’t get sick often because we have a good supply of white blood cells that kill pathogens before they can cause infection.

If we fall ill, the immune system will initiate a series of actions to stop the growth of or kill the invading pathogens, as well as to destroy infected or dying cells in the body. Infection often causes a large increase in white blood cell counts. Doctors can easily know if you have an infection if they see that your white blood cell count is higher than normal. Increased white blood cells make the body more likely to fend off infection.

Of course, there are cases where the white blood cell count drops. In most cases, it requires thorough investigation because it is often associated with health problems, some of which are serious. A low white blood cell count is not a diagnosis or health condition. This is just a finding after a routine blood test.

The correct term for the blood test or examination is called complete blood count or CBC. Doctors often order a CBC because it analyzes the number of cell components, including white blood cells. The normal range of white blood cell count may vary. The Mayo Clinic says the normal range is 3.5 billion to 10.5 billion cells per liter of blood. Meanwhile, Medline Plus says normal levels are 4,500 to 11,000 white blood cells per microliter (mcL).

Low White Blood Cell Count: Causes And What It Means

CBC is the only way to determine the number of white blood cells in the body. Your doctor may order several CBC tests to monitor your blood cell counts.

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The main purpose of white blood cells is to protect the body from infection by microorganisms. If their numbers become too low, you may become vulnerable to infection. Most people don’t actually feel any symptoms until their white blood cell counts become very low.

If your white blood cell count has been low for a period of time, you may have illness or infection more often than usual.

Dangers Of High & Low White Blood Cells + Underlying Factors

Not all microorganisms, except HIV, are able to attack white blood cells head-on. Meanwhile, killing microorganisms is the main purpose of white blood cells. The body naturally produces more white blood cells in case of infection or inflammation. This explains why infection causes an increase in white blood cell counts.

As we mentioned earlier, our body continuously produces white blood cells. White blood cells are produced in the bone marrow just like other blood components. Having a low blood cell count means that there is something wrong with the production of white blood cells.

In most cases, low white blood cell counts are the result of some disease. It may also occur as a side effect of some treatments. Malnutrition and lack of nutrients can also cause a decline in white blood cell count.

Low white blood cell counts are often associated with diseases. One of the most common causes is severe infection, which can use up white blood cells faster than they can be produced. If the disease is not treated, or treatment does not respond, serious infections may develop. This often occurs in infants, very young children, or the elderly.

Autoimmune Blood Tests: Types And Interpreting Results

Low white blood cell counts are often a symptom of immunodeficiency or a weak immune system. As you learned in school, white blood cells are the backbone of the immune system. A low count of specific white blood cells in a CBC can often reveal the cause of immunodeficiency. Some of the most common conditions that cause immunodeficiency include systemic lupus erythromatosis (lupus), tuberculosis, dengue fever virus infection, rickettsia, psittacosis, Sjögren’s syndrome, Lyme disease, and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

HIV infection is also a common cause of low white blood cell count. Human immunodeficiency virus primarily targets CD4 helper cells, the same cells that prime the immune system to act against infection. HIV causes the white blood cell count to fail over time. Once the white blood cell count becomes too low, opportunistic bacteria and viruses will invade the body and cause infection, resulting in many of the serious health problems that define AIDS. Undiagnosed or undiagnosed HIV infection is a very common cause of low white blood cell count in both developed and developing countries.

A condition called sarcoidosis can also cause a decrease in the number of white blood cells. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of lumps called granulomas in the lungs, skin, or lymph nodes. The cause of sarcoidosis is often unknown, but doctors suspect it may be caused by problems in the immune system; Granulomas in the lungs may be caused by an immune reaction to something inhaled into the lungs. Sarcoidosis may not cause symptoms. It is often detected after a chest X-ray. In most cases, sarcoidosis resolves on its own without any treatment.

Shock caused by sepsis, a condition caused by severe infection that results in widespread and destructive inflammation throughout the body, often leading to a severe reduction in white blood cells. In some cases of sepsis the white blood cells become very low, sometimes as low as 4000 per microliter.

Basophils: Function & Ranges

The bone marrow can become infected with the virus, causing a decline in white blood cell production resulting in low blood counts. Bone marrow infection is uncommon, but it can be caused by infection entering the bloodstream or injuries to the surrounding bone (including bed sores). Some of these viruses cause diseases including parvovirus B19, dengue, hepatitis virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and human immunodeficiency virus.

In cancer patients, low white blood cell counts are often caused by chemotherapy. Medicines used to treat cancer work by killing the rapidly dividing cells that form tumors. The problem is that the cells in the bone marrow also divide very rapidly, and are therefore also targeted by chemotherapy drugs. Radiation therapy used to kill cancer cells also kills the bone marrow, reducing white blood cell counts. During cancer treatment, your doctor will order several CBC tests to monitor your white blood cells and try to prevent them from getting too low. Your health provider will also monitor you for signs of infection.

It’s also worth noting that some cancers damage the bone marrow and affect your white blood cells. Any cancer can do this once it affects the bones. A special type of cancer, called acute myeloid leukemia, starts in the bone marrow and can affect the cells that produce white blood cells. Another cancer, multiple myeloma, also causes low white blood cells because it interferes with the production of blood components.

Another cause is genetic or congenital problems that reduce bone marrow function, also known as inherited bone marrow failure. This happens due to problem in genes. Some of these conditions do not manifest symptoms until adulthood. These conditions include Fanconi anemia, dyskeratosis congenital, Shwachman–Diamond syndrome, Diamond–Blackfan anemia, severe congenital neutropenia, and congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia. The good thing is that these conditions are relatively rare.

What Are The Symptoms Of A Low White Blood Cell Count?

Taking certain antibiotics can cause low white blood cell counts. It is a side effect found in many penicillins and cephalosporins, including penicillin-G, cefazolin, cefoxitin, and cephalothin. This is relatively rare.

If your white blood cell levels are low, the focus of treatment is to prevent infection. Having a low number of white blood cells means your protection against infection is also low. You have to stick to a task that seems simple but important

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