Friday, June 3, 2016
the most numerous of the white cells, rid the body of large pathogenic organisms such as protozoans or helminths and are also key mediators of allergy and other forms of inflammation. These cells contain many cytoplasmic granules, or secretory vesicles, that harbour potent chemicals important in immune responses. They also have multilobed nuclei, and because of this they are often called polymorphonuclear cells. On the basis of how their granules take up dye in the laboratory, granulocytes are subdivided into three categories: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. The most numerous of the granulocytes—making up 50 to 80 percent of all white cells—are neutrophils. They are often one of the first cell types to arrive at a site of infection, where they engulf and destroy the infectious microorganisms through a process called phagocytosis. Eosinophils and basophils, as well as the tissue cells called mast cells, typically arrive later. The granules of basophils and of the closely related mast cells contain a number of chemicals, including histamine and leukotrienes, that are important in inducing allergic inflammatory responses. Eosinophils destroy parasites and also help to modulate inflammatory responses.
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If you have had your spleen removed, you may have a persistent mild to moderate increase in WBC count.
Intense exercise or severe emotional or physical stress can increase a WBC count, but the test is not used to evaluate these conditions. Pregnancy in the final month and labor may also be associated with increased WBC levels.
In the U.S. population, WBC counts are related to one's age, sex, ethnicity, and smoking status. It is not uncommon for the elderly to fail to develop high WBC count (leukocytosis) as a response to infection.
There are many drugs that cause both increased and decreased WBC counts.
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If you have had your spleen removed, you may have a persistent mild to moderate increase in WBC count.
Intense exercise or severe emotional or physical stress can increase a WBC count, but the test is not used to evaluate these conditions. Pregnancy in the final month and labor may also be associated with increased WBC levels.
In the U.S. population, WBC counts are related to one's age, sex, ethnicity, and smoking status. It is not uncommon for the elderly to fail to develop high WBC count (leukocytosis) as a response to infection.
There are many drugs that cause both increased and decreased WBC counts.
