What Would Cause Low White Blood Count – Dear Mayo Clinic: My 16-year-old granddaughter was recently diagnosed with a low white blood cell count after going to the emergency room twice with migraines, vomiting, and temporary vision loss. What can cause a low white blood cell count in someone her age? I’m worried it’s something serious and wonder what other tests should be done.

Answer: Many diseases and conditions can lead to a low white blood cell count. It’s hard to say what the specific cause of your granddaughter’s condition might be without more information. It is unlikely that the low count is related to migraine and its other symptoms. It would be wise to have another blood test to see if the problem persists. Her doctor can then decide if she needs further evaluation.

What Would Cause Low White Blood Count

Blood has several components. In addition to white blood cells, which fight infection, red blood cells carry oxygen and platelets help blood clot. The bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside the bones, produces the blood cells.

What It Means When Your White Blood Cell Count Is Low

There are several types of white blood cells. Neutrophils fight fungal and bacterial infections. Lymphocytes protect the body against viral infections. Monocytes help get rid of dead or damaged tissue and regulate the body’s immune response. Eosinophils are white blood cells that fight disease. Basophils play a role in wound healing, infection and allergic reactions.

One of the most common causes of a low white blood cell count is a viral infection. These infections can sometimes temporarily disrupt the bone marrow’s production of blood cells, so that the blood cell count drops. Counts usually recover as the body recovers from the infection. For most people, there is no long-term effect from this temporary drop in blood cells.

Certain medications can also lead to low white blood cell counts because they can destroy white blood cells or damage the bone marrow. For example, taking antibiotics can sometimes cause an abnormal decrease in neutrophils, a condition known as neutropenia. With this in mind, it would be useful to have your granddaughter’s doctor review any medications she is taking to see if they may be causing changes in her blood cell count.

A variety of other conditions and disorders can also lead to neutropenia. For an overview of this condition and more details on how it is diagnosed and treated, you can watch a Mayo Clinic video.

Low White Blood Cell Count

The list of other possible causes for a person’s white blood cell count to drop is long. Autoimmune disorders, congenital disorders that affect how the bone marrow works, spleen disorders, certain infectious diseases, cancer, and parasitic diseases, among others, can lead to a low white blood cell count.

A good next step for your granddaughter would be to have a complete blood count. This test measures the components in the blood. The specific type of white blood cell that this test shows is low in your granddaughter, as well as the results of the other blood component measurements, may help shed light on what may be causing the drop.

The other symptoms you mention – headaches, vision loss and vomiting – should also be addressed with a physical exam, a review of your granddaughter’s family and medical history, and any additional tests her doctor recommends. Even if these symptoms are not related to the decrease in her white blood cell count, it is important to investigate and identify their underlying cause. – Carola Arndt, M.D., pediatric hematology/oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. – Richard Bould, M.D., has been named site director of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Arizona. Dr. Boldt joins Mayo Clinic from… A low white blood cell count is a condition in which the number of white blood cells in your body becomes too low. White blood cells (also called leukocytes) are part of the immune system, and are the cells that protect your body from 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. The microorganisms that cause disease are literally everywhere, but most people do not get sick because they have a large number of white blood cells that provide protection. A low white blood cell count often means there is a problem in the body, so it is not considered normal.

There are several types of white blood cells. Everyone has their own special goals and different lifespans. There are monocytes (morphed into other white blood cells), lymphocytes (release antibodies, regulate immunity and kill infected human cells), basophils (initiate inflammatory reactions), eosinophils (kill parasites and trigger allergic reactions), and neutrophils (the main killers of bacteria and fungi).

Benign Blood Conditions

Our body continuously produces millions of different white blood cells that replace worn out or dead blood cells. Therefore their number remains relatively stable most of the time. The immune system is skilled in regulating the activity numbers of white blood cells, increasing or decreasing the numbers of a certain type as needed in the situation. Even in moments when we put ourselves at risk, such as consuming dirty or spoiled food, inhaling dust laden with microorganisms, staying in crowded places or staying in places like airplanes, gyms or hospitals, we often do not get sick because we have a good supply of blood cells Whites that kill pathogens before they cause infection.

If we do get sick, the immune system will initiate a series of actions to stop the growth of or kill the invading pathogens, as well as destroy infected or dying cells in the body. Infection often causes a drastic increase in the white blood cell count. 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 in which 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 only 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 analyzes the number of cell components, including white blood cells. The normal threshold for white blood cell count may vary. The Mayo Clinic states that the normal range is 3.5 billion to 10.5 billion cells per liter of blood. Meanwhile, MEDLINE Plus indicates that 4,500 to 11,000 white blood cells per microliter (mcL) are normal.

Leukopenia: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment And Cost

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 count.

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The main purpose of white blood cells is to protect the body from infection by microorganisms. If their number is too low, you may be vulnerable to infections. Most people actually do not experience any symptoms unless their white blood cell count becomes very low.

If you have had a low white blood cell count for a while, you may have an increased frequency of illnesses or infections than usual.

What Is Thrombocytopenia?

All microorganisms, except HIV, are unable to 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. This explains why infections cause an increased number of white blood cells.

As we mentioned before, our body produces white blood cells continuously. White blood cells are produced in the bone marrow, just like the other blood components. 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 lack of nutrients can also cause a decrease in the white blood cell count.

A low white blood cell count is often associated with disease. Among the most common causes is a severe infection, which can use up white blood cells faster than they can be produced. A serious infection may develop if the disease is not treated, or does not respond to treatment. This often happens in babies, very young children or the elderly.

Best Remedies To Increase White Blood Cell Count At Home

A low white blood cell count is often a feature of immunodeficiency or a compromised immune system. As you learned in school, white blood cells are the workhorse of the immune system. A low count of specific white blood cells on a CBC can often reveal the cause of the immunodeficiency. Some of the most common conditions that cause immunodeficiency include systemic lupus

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