Contents:
- Medical Video: Elevated Blood Cell Levels Medical Course
- Overview of blood tests
- The cause of white blood cells rises
- What does it mean if white blood cells rise quite dramatically?
Medical Video: Elevated Blood Cell Levels Medical Course
After seeing a doctor, you may be asked to do a blood test. When the results come out, your white blood cells may be declared high. What does it mean if white blood cells rise? What is the danger or not? Here's the full explanation.
Overview of blood tests
Why is this blood test important? Results from a blood test will describe overall health and detect abnormalities. Including anemia, infection, and leukemia.
Some important information that we can know from blood tests, including:
- Erythrocytes (red blood cells), related to the ability to carry oxygen
- Leukocytes (white blood cells), related to the immune system (immune system)
- Hemoglobin, proteins in red blood cells that carry oxygen
- Hematocrit, the proportion of red blood cells to components of fluid or plasma in the blood
- Platelet or platelets, helps blood clotting
The increase or decrease in the number of these cells indicates a medical condition that requires further doctor evaluation.
The cause of white blood cells rises
White blood cells play an important role in the immune process (immune). This lack of blood cells can make the body's defenses weaker so it is susceptible to infection. However, an increase in white blood cells must be distinguished whether it leads to malignancy or not, as in infection or other inflammatory diseases.
The following are normal levels of white blood cells based on their age range, according to American Associaton of Family Physician (AAFP):
- Newborns: 13,000 - 38,000 / mm3
- Babies and children: 5,000 - 20,000 / mm3
- Adults: 4,500 - 11,000 / mm3
- Pregnant women (third trimester): 5,800 - 13,200 / mm3
The number of white blood cells that are more than normal is called leukocytosis. Usually rose white blood cells are known through the red blood test. This increase can indicate the body's reaction to infection and inflammation.
Cancer like leukemia (blood cancer), melanoma (skin cancer), and lymphoma can be marked by rising blood cells. However, cases like this are generally less common. Generally, serious and worrying leukocytosis is when the number of white blood cells rises to above 100,000 / mm3.
What does it mean if white blood cells rise quite dramatically?
White blood cells that rise up to the range 50,000 - 100,000 / mm3 are called leukemoid reactions. Malignancy (such as cancer) can indeed be one consideration of the causes of leukemoid reactions. However, generally this reaction is caused by abnormalities such as severe infection, poisoning, heavy bleeding, splitting of blood, or acute hemolysis.
An infection that can cause a leukemoid reaction is infection tuberculosis, dysentery, and various other bacterial infections that cause symptoms of diarrhea.
Pulmonary inflammation due to bacteria, intestinal worms and malaria can also cause this reaction.
In addition, the reaction of white blood cells to rise can also be caused by poisoning. The causes include the use of drugs such as groups sulfanilamide and corticosteroids, or poisoning due to high levels of urea in the blood. Treatment with radiotherapy (for example to treat cancer) is also known to cause white blood cells to rise.
However, to find out the exact cause of white blood cells rising, of course you should consult directly with your doctor. Your doctor may need another examination before finally determining your diagnosis.
