High White Blood Cell Count

The white blood cells are the bodies’ way of defending themselves from diseases. When there is a high white blood cell count it usually means that the body is currently fighting off a disease or infection. So if a blood test reveals that the white blood cell count is high then it is a warning that something could be wrong.


 

The high white blood cell count can be determined by doing a CBC or complete blood count. It will also have the information about the count of the red blood cell, the count of the platelet, hemoglobin measurement and other details. The complete blood count helps the doctor evaluate if there is something wrong with the bone marrow or the blood itself. The CBC is also used to see if there are signs of diseases or infections like anemia, leukemia and also to check if a treatment like radiation therapy and chemotherapy are affecting the blood production cells.

Under the white blood cell there are 5 different types. There are different values set in order to determine if there is something wrong with the white blood cells or not. Although there are different values set according to the different schools of thought, there is a certain level where they all concede that it is a high white blood cell count. When the CBC is done and there is high blood count then it is an indication that there is some sort of infection, allergy, inflammation and other things that the body is fighting off. It will not be a way to tell which particular disease it could be. Besides those there are other possible causes of high white blood cell count like too much smoking, being under too much stress, the use of certain antibiotics or drugs and more. And then if there is a low white blood cell count it will also cause an alarm since it could be possible case of sepsis.

A normal range is considered 4,500-10,000 white blood cells per microliter (mcL). Normal value ranges can vary slightly among different testing laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your test results.


 

A low number of white blood cells is called leukopenia. It might be due to:

•Bone marrow deficiency or failure (ex., due to infection, a tumor, or abnormal scarring)
•Collagen-vascular diseases (such as systemic lupus erythematosus)
•Disease of the liver or spleen
•Radiation therapy or exposure

A high number of white blood cells is called leukocytosis. It might be due to:

•Anemia
•Bone marrow tumors
•Infectious diseases
•Inflammatory disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or allergy)
•Leukemia
•Severe emotional or physical stress
•Tissue damage (ex., burns)

These lists are not all inclusive and are not intended to be a diagnosis.