Why Would Your White Blood Cell Count Be Low – DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My 16-year-old niece was recently diagnosed with low white blood cell counts after being in the emergency room twice with migraines, vomiting, and temporary vision loss. What might cause a low white blood cell count in a person your age? I’m afraid it’s something serious and I wonder what other tests should be done.

ANSWER: Many diseases and conditions can lead to a low white blood cell count. It is difficult to say what the specific cause might be in your granddaughter’s situation without more information. The low count is unlikely to be related to migraines and other symptoms. It would be wise to get another blood test to see if the problem persists. Your doctor can then decide whether you need to undergo further evaluation.

Why Would Your White Blood Cell Count Be Low

Blood has a number of components. In addition to white blood cells, which fight infections, red blood cells transport oxygen and platelets help blood clot. Bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones, produces blood cells.

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There are different types of white blood cells. Neutrophils fight fungal and bacterial infections. Lymphocytes protect the body from viral infections. Monocytes help get rid of dead or damaged tissue and regulate the body’s immune response. Eosinophils are disease-fighting white blood cells. Basophils play a role in wound healing, infections 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 stop the bone marrow from producing blood cells, so blood cell counts drop. Counts typically improve as the body recovers from the infection. For most people, this temporary drop in blood cells has no long-term effect.

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

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 view a video from the Mayo Clinic.

White Blood Cell

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

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

The other symptoms you mentioned (headache, 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 your doctor recommends. Although these symptoms are not related to decreased white blood cell counts, it is important to investigate and identify the underlying cause. — Carola Arndt, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

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White blood cells help fight infections and are essential for health and well-being. Changes in white blood cell levels can occur during infections, during pregnancy, and in some types of cancer.

A high white blood cell count may indicate that the immune system is working to destroy an infection.

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It could also be a sign of physical or emotional stress. People with certain blood cancers may also have high white blood cell counts.

A low white blood cell count may signal that an injury or condition is destroying cells faster than the body produces them or that the body is producing too few of them.

White blood cells make up about 1% of all blood cells and are essential for the regular functioning of the immune system. White blood cells are also known as leukocytes.

The bone marrow continually produces white blood cells. They are stored in the blood and lymphatic system until they are needed to fight an infection or disease in the body.

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There are normally between 4,500 and 11,000 white blood cells in each microliter of blood, although this can vary depending on gender, age and race.

When needed, monocytes travel to other organs, such as the spleen, liver, lungs, and bone marrow, where they transform into a cell called a macrophage.

A macrophage is responsible for many functions, including removing dead or damaged tissue, destroying tumor cells, and regulating the immune response.

An increase in white blood cells is known as leukocytosis. It typically occurs in response to the following conditions:

White Blood Cells: Function, Ranges, Types, And More

Some respiratory conditions, such as whooping cough or tuberculosis, can cause increased levels of white blood cells.

In some cases, all white blood cells are affected. However, some people suffer from a specific disease in which only one type of white blood cell is affected.

If levels of a particular type of white blood cell increase, it could be due to a specific trigger:

Sometimes there is no identifiable cause for the increase in white blood cells. This is known as idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. It can lead to serious complications, such as damage to the heart, lungs, liver, skin and nervous system.

Overview Of White Blood Cell Disorders

White blood cell levels increase significantly during a healthy pregnancy due to the physical stress the body endures during this period. Levels begin to rise within the first quarter and continue to rise into the third quarter.

White blood cells in every microliter of blood. This is in response to the physical stress and trauma of labor.

If white blood cell levels are lower than normal, this could be a sign that the person has reduced immune activity.

A deficiency of white blood cells is why people with conditions or medications that suppress the immune system have an increased risk of infection.

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These develop when too many immature blood cells are produced, leading to an imbalance. Myeloproliferative disorders are rare conditions that may or may not become malignant.

The exact effects of a high white blood cell count depend on the condition or factor causing them.

After noticing any symptoms, a doctor may use a blood test to evaluate your white blood cell count, and often further tests and examinations will be needed to pinpoint the exact cause of the problem.

A high white blood cell count can indicate several things, such as the immune system working to destroy an infection, a sign of physical or emotional stress, or particular types of cancer.

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Pregnancy also leads to a high white blood cell count, as levels tend to increase from the first trimester to the third. White blood cell levels will also increase in the hours following labor, due to the strong stress the body is subjected to.

Meanwhile, a low white blood cell count may signal that an injury or condition is destroying cells faster than the body produces them. It could also mean that the body is producing too few of them.

Although symptoms depend on the cause of the high white blood cell count, fluctuations in the white blood cell count may not cause any symptoms.

Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and sources only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and medical journals and associations. We avoid the use of tertiary references. We link primary sources, including studies, scientific references, and statistics, within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and up-to-date by reading our editorial policy. Blood cell disorders are conditions that affect any blood cell: these are red and white blood cells and even platelets. All these cells are formed in the bone marrow. Although some disorders disrupt the function of one of these cells, they can also impair multiple blood cells and their specific function. .

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Below are some common benign blood conditions that affect blood cells and platelets. To help our patients better understand each condition, we have included the symptoms, risk factors, means of diagnosis, and treatment options for each of these benign blood conditions.

What is anemia? Anemia is a blood cell disease that affects the

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