What Is The Meaning Of Low White Blood Cell Count – A low white blood count is a condition in which the numbers of white blood cells in your body become too low. White blood cells (also called leukocytes) are part of the immune system, and they are the cells that protect your body against infections by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. A low white blood cell count is also known as leukopenia.

White blood cells are very important for health. Life is impossible without them. Microorganisms that cause diseases are literally everywhere, but most people do not get sick because they have a sufficient number of white blood cells that provide protection. A low white blood cell count usually means that there is a problem with the body, so it is not considered normal.

What Is The Meaning Of Low White Blood Cell Count

There are several types of white blood cells. Each has its own special purpose and different life span. There are monocytes (change into other white blood cells), lymphocytes (release antibodies, regulate immunity, and kill infected human cells), basophils (initiate inflammatory reactions), eosinophils (kill parasites and cause allergic reactions), and neutrophils (main killers of bacteria and fungi).

Mcv (mean Corpuscular Volume) Test: Normal Range & Details

Our body is constantly producing millions of different white blood cells that replace damaged or dead ones. That is why their numbers remain relatively stable most of the time. The immune system is good at regulating the activity numbers of white blood cells, increasing or decreasing the numbers of a particular type as the situation requires. Even in moments where we put ourselves at risk, such as consuming dirty or spoiled food, inhaling dust full of microorganisms, staying in crowded places, or going to places like airplanes, gyms, or hospital, we often don’t get sick because we have a disease. good supply of white blood cells that kill pathogens before they cause infection.

If we get sick, the immune system initiates a series of actions to stop the growth of, or kill, invading pathogens, as well as destroy infected or dying cells in the body. The infection usually causes a sharp increase in the number of white blood cells. Doctors can easily tell if you have an infection if they see that your white blood cell count is higher than normal. The increased white blood cells give the body a better chance of stopping the infection.

Of course, there are cases where the white blood cell count decreases. In most cases, it requires a 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 a health condition. This is just a finding after a routine blood test.

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

How Much Does A Cbc Blood Test Cost?

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

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The main purpose of white blood cells is to protect the body against infection by microorganisms. If their numbers are too low, you may be vulnerable to infections. Most people don’t really feel any symptoms unless their white blood cell count is very low.

If you’ve had a low white blood count for a while, you may get sick or get infections more often than usual.

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All microorganisms, except HIV, cannot attack white blood cells head-on. Meanwhile, killing microorganisms is the main purpose of white blood cells. The body also naturally produces more white blood cells in case of infection or inflammation. That explains why infections cause higher white blood cell counts.

As we have already mentioned, our body is constantly producing white blood cells. White blood cells are made in the bone marrow, just like the rest of the blood. Having a low blood cell count means something is wrong with the production of white blood cells.

In most cases, a low white blood cell count is the result of an illness. Some treatments can also cause this as a side effect. Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies can also cause a low white blood cell count.

A low white blood cell count is often associated with diseases. Among the most common causes is a serious infection, which can use up white blood cells faster than they can be produced. Severe infection can develop if the disease is left untreated, or does not respond to treatment. It often occurs in infants, very young children, or the elderly.

Normal White Blood Cell (wbc) Count By Age

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

HIV infection is also a common cause of low white blood count. The human immunodeficiency virus primarily targets the CD T4 helper cells, the ones that precisely trigger the immune system to act against the infection. HIV causes white blood cell numbers to drop over time. Once the number of white blood cells is too low, opportunistic bacteria and viruses will invade the body and cause infection, resulting in many serious health problems that define AIDS. Having a diagnosed or undiagnosed HIV infection is a very common cause of low white blood cell counts in both developed and developing countries.

A condition called sarcoidosis can also cause the number of white blood cells to fail. 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 that it may be caused by problems with the immune system; granulomas in the lungs can be caused by an immune reaction to something inhaled into the lungs. Sarcoidosis may not cause symptoms. It is often detected after having a chest x-ray. In most cases, sarcoidosis goes away on its own without any treatment.

Shock caused by sepsis, a condition caused by a severe infection that results in widespread and destructive inflammation of the whole body, often causes a severe reduction in white blood cells. Some cases of sepsis cause very low white blood cells, sometimes as low as 4000 per microliter.

White Blood Cells—granulocytes And Agranulocytes

The bone marrow can become infected with viruses, causing a decrease in white blood cell production resulting in a low blood count. Bone marrow infection is uncommon, but it can occur from infection that enters the bloodstream or from injuries close to the bone’s periphery (including bedsores). Some of these viruses cause diseases including parovovirus B19, dengue, hepatitis virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, and the human immunodeficiency virus.

In cancer patients, low white blood cell counts are often caused by chemotherapy. Drugs used to treat cancer work by killing the rapidly dividing cells that make up tumors. The problem is that cells in the bone marrow also divide rapidly, and thus are also targeted by chemotherapy drugs. The radiation therapy used to kill cancer cells also kills the bone marrow, causing a low white blood cell count. 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 healthcare provider will also monitor you for signs of infection.

It should also be noted that some cancers damage the bone marrow and affect your white blood cells. Any cancer can do this once it affects the bones. A particular type of cancer, called acute myeloid leukemia, starts in the bone marrow and can affect the cells that make 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 cause decreased bone marrow function, also known as inherited bone marrow failure. It is caused by a problem in the genes. Some of these conditions do not show 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.

White Blood Cell Count To Mean Platelet Volume Ratio: A Novel And Promising Prognostic Marker For St Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

A low white blood cell count can be caused by taking certain antibiotics. This is a side effect reported with many penicillins and cephalosporins, including Penicillin-G, Cefazolin, Cefoxitin, and Cephalothin. This is quite rare.

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

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