Chronic, elevated, WBC meaning?

I've been tesing in the borderline high range for WBC for about 9 months now, during routine blood panels. Has anyone else had this problem related to HCV, and for no other reason? The three tamest sounding causes accoring to The Mayo Clinic are allergy, stress, and smoking. Next is chronic infection, then cancer. Recently I've had inflamed lymph nodes in the back of my neck, near the base of my skull, which are painful to the touch. My Dr. wants to follow up on this in 3 months, making the total amount of time with high WBC one year. Does this seem a little too laid-back to you?

[cheesenrice]

a wbc differential test will tell you more


2


Look at the neutrophil levels. An elevation in the number of neutrophils can indicate bacterial infection, vasculitis and inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and vasculitis. Low levels of neutrophils may be caused by a serious infection or medications, such as chemotherapy.

3


Examine the eosinophil count. Eosinophils levels can increase because of allergies, skin inflammation, parasitic infections or bone marrow disorders. Low eosinophil levels can indicate infection.

4


Check the number of basophils. This number can increase because of leukemia, chronic inflammation, food allergies or radiation therapy.

5


Look at the lymphocyte count. Increases in lymphocytes can be caused by viral infection, leukemia, bone marrow cancer or radiation therapy. Low lymphocyte levels may be due to immune system diseases, such as lupus and the HIV infection.

6


Check monocyte levels. Monocyte counts can increase because of infection, inflammation and cancer. Low monocyte levels may be caused by bone marrow problems and leukemia.



Read more: How to Interpret a WBC Differential Count | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5727931_interpret-wbc-differential-count.html#ixzz1SVbuH900

[cheesenrice]

a wbc differential test will tell you more


2


Look at the neutrophil levels. An elevation in the number of neutrophils can indicate bacterial infection, vasculitis and inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and vasculitis. Low levels of neutrophils may be caused by a serious infection or medications, such as chemotherapy.

3


Examine the eosinophil count. Eosinophils levels can increase because of allergies, skin inflammation, parasitic infections or bone marrow disorders. Low eosinophil levels can indicate infection.

4


Check the number of basophils. This number can increase because of leukemia, chronic inflammation, food allergies or radiation therapy.

5


Look at the lymphocyte count. Increases in lymphocytes can be caused by viral infection, leukemia, bone marrow cancer or radiation therapy. Low lymphocyte levels may be due to immune system diseases, such as lupus and the HIV infection.

6


Check monocyte levels. Monocyte counts can increase because of infection, inflammation and cancer. Low monocyte levels may be caused by bone marrow problems and leukemia.



Read more: How to Interpret a WBC Differential Count | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5727931_interpret-wbc-differential-count.html#ixzz1SVbuH900

[Diane12855]

Cheesenrice pretty much has it covered here. Get a copy of your lab report so that you can tell us which WBC is elevated... as you can see, there are many different kinds...  each with its own cause.

Diane

[CaughtOffGuard]

When I had a high white blood cell count, my doc said it was the body's way off fighting off an infection. Things like a cut that's trying to heal, or the flu, a sore throat, bronchitis or a sinus infection can all cause your wbc to go up.  And, antihistamines can make it go up too!   I hope this helps.

christina

[willbb]

Just for some reference for you when looking at your labs.

The normal overall WBC is (3.8 -11)
Differentials : Neutrophils  : Normal should be approx 48 - 73% of total WBC
                    Lymphocytes :18  -48%
                     Monocytes:0  -9%
                      Eosinophils:0 -5%
                     Basophils:0  -2%

Any %"s out of wack as cheesenrice has mentioned can be sometimes caused by one of the above  or if they are only slightly out of normal often it is nothing at all and imagine your doctor would have discussed this with you when going over the results.

Good luck

Will