what can cause you to have a low white blood count
87e375e8d926a3a78823b37ef35feeba
- Low blood counts can have many causes, including vitamin deficiencies, bleeding, and rare bone marrow failure diseases like aplastic anemia, MDS and PNH. If your blood tests are abnormal, your doctor may do other blood tests or take a sample of your bone marrow to find out why.
886b19b0f98f6a1a753bb3ddc8e35b89
Low White Blood Cell Count Not Always a Sign of Medical Problem Underlying causes for a low white blood cell count can range from benign disorders, such as vitamin deficiencies, to more serious blood diseases, such as leukemia or lymphoma. A truly low white blood cell count also puts you at higher risk for infections — typically bacterial infections.
eb335aab0cf236c8f2cb79b020db1660
Low white blood cell count A low white blood cell count usually is caused by: 1  Viral infections that temporarily disrupt the work of bone marrow. 2  Certain disorders present at birth (congenital) that involve diminished bone marrow function. 3  Cancer (or other diseases that damage bone marrow)  Autoimmune disorders that destroy white blood cells or bone marrow cells.
44b49d27422bb6a9b0e4176dab3f8c5d
Common Causes of Low White Blood Cells So what are some common causes of low white blood cells? As part of your body's health protection system, white blood cells fight against bacteria, viruses and fungi, according to the National Institutes of Health. So when your white blood cell count is low, your body's ability to fight disease can be compromised.
4a3c64cf17049b152d716b8ea6d16479
Low White Blood Cell Count Not Always a Sign of Medical Problem With all that in mind, if you and your doctor determine that your white blood cell count is lower than it should be, that is cause for concern. Because a low white blood cell count cannot, in and of itself, be used to diagnose a specific disease or disorder, you'll likely need more testing to further assess your condition. Underlying causes for a low white blood cell count can range from benign disorders, such as vitamin deficiencies, to more serious blood diseases, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
4900a3797e34bc48114f9dc78fb20f41
Overview If your white blood cell count is higher than normal, you may have an infection or inflammation. Or, it could indicate that you have an immune system disorder or a bone marrow disease.A high white blood cell count can also be a reaction to medication.1  Platelet count.ed blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit. The results of your red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit are related because they each measure aspects of your red blood cells. If the measures in these three areas are lower than normal, you have anemia. Anemia causes fatigue and weakness.
a5980f8b85f993cbf1613a740c80c7ed
- Other causes of a low white blood cell count include: 1  Crohn's disease. 2  Infections, such as tuberculosis (TB) or certain viruses like HIV. 3  Lupus (also called systemic lupus erythematosus). 4  Radiation. 5  Rheumatoid arthritis. 6  Some medicines, such as those that treat infections, high blood pressure, or seizures.
b23f9e07a88cbde0171d160f8adb9106
What Do Red and White Blood Cell Counts Mean What does a low white blood cell count mean. Low white cell counts are associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, leukemia (as malignant cells overwhelm the bone marrow), myelofibrosis and aplastic anemia (failure of white and red cell creation, along with poor platelet production).
3494058a25d9476c92972bd262e1fc71
What Causes A Low Blood Count? A low blood count means that something in your blood is at abnormally low levels, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin or platelets. There are many causes of a low blood count which range the spectrum of medical severity from a simple infection to cancer. Your doctor will diagnose your condition based on your symptoms, your medical history and your low blood cell count.
8d5554336db8a48f9f3ba10f98621665
- A. Roughly between 4,500 and 10,000 cells per microliter (one one-thousandth of a milliliter). The white blood cell count is part of a complete blood count (CBC), one of the most common blood tests. Automated cell counting machines count the number of cells present in a blood sample.Different laboratories use different cell counting machines, and each lab may have slightly different values for the normal range. low white blood cell count (leukopenia) is less common. Certain medications, infections, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, heavy alcohol use, and problems in the bone marrow can cause a low white blood cell count.
452f0eafa1fb9f51364224b972723321
Complete Blood Count Tests Some cancer treatments, mainly chemotherapy, may cause a decrease in your body's white blood cells. Cancers that affect the blood and bone marrow can also cause a decrease in the count. These types of cancers include leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Amounts of different white blood cells.
137197650b5c5a5f4c46ecdc04b7faa4
Acute myeloid leukemia A low white blood cell count, called leukopenia, can result from conditions such as: 1  Bone marrow damage (e.g., toxin, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, drugs) 2  Bone marrow disorders—the bone marrow does not produce sufficient WBCs (e.g., myelodysplastic syndrome, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency)
3ef60d102e8f38b1e67d22334bfbf471
How To Increase White Blood Cell Count: Boost White Blood Cell Count The common low white blood count causes include an unhealthy lifestyle and diet, emotional stress, and nutritional intake. Low immunity can lead to several health conditions. That is why it is important to know how to increase white blood cell count to ensure that your body can respond well to illnesses and infections.
529a07ea154749a3ee81c27afbf58d06
What Causes a Low Blood Count? Infections may cause a temporary decrease in white blood cell count, a condition known as leukopenia. In a severe bacterial infection, white blood cells that normally circulate in the bloodstream migrate to the site of the infection in large numbers, leading to a low white blood cell count in the blood.
d4db501177823cbf815b76e193024d86
What Causes Low White Cells? Leukopenia, or a low white blood cell count, is the condition of having a decreased level of disease-fighting cells in your blood. But what causes low white cells in the blood? A healthy person has a normal white blood cell count of about 1,700 neutrophils per microliter of blood, according to the National Institutes of Health. A neutrophil is a white blood cell created in the bone marrow and residing in blood, NIH explains. When leukopenia occurs, we're at a higher risk for infection.
6387f182c15e83c43ebad4f9ec2436f6
Low white blood cell count White blood cells are manufactured in bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside some of your larger bones. A low white blood cell count usually is caused by: Viral infections that temporarily disrupt the work of bone marrow. Certain disorders present at birth (congenital) that involve diminished bone marrow function. Cancer (or other diseases that damage bone marrow)
c04a1620d6de26756c32dcf100ae9916
- A low white blood cell count usually is caused by one of the following: 1  Viral infections that temporarily disrupt bone marrow function. 2  Congenital disorders characterized by diminished bone marrow function. 3  Cancer or other diseases that damage bone marrow.
7e8b8dcaa8ec148c98ba77cd634b097c
What Causes a Low White Blood Cell Count? A low white blood cell count is called leukopenia. Leukopenia is best defined as a decrease in the number of white blood cells, called leukocytes, in the blood. The test that determines blood cell count is the white blood cell (WBC) test, which is often included as one part of the complete blood count (CBC) test.
c54c343b29248cf12a4f4a60a4bf1fc1
Low Blood Counts Things you can do to reduce your risk of infection when you have low white blood count: 1  Frequent hand washing of both you and those coming in contact with you. 2  Avoid contact with anyone who is sick. 3  If someone in the home is sick limit contact and consult your doctor or nurse.OW WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT (low WBC). Leukopenia-A decrease in the total number of white blood cells, which may lead to low white blood cell count. Neutropenia-A decrease in the number of neutrophils, which may lead to low white blood count.
ce276ee84ac7eae3089b80498e0b8f75
- A number of health conditions can cause the white blood cell count to plummet. Infections, leukemia, cancer treatments, anemia, medications, autoimmune disorders, and even allergies can all take aim at the immune system, weakening it and leaving the body more vulnerable to infections. Take folic acid. 2  The body needs folic acid to make white blood cells. 3  In fact, one of the side effects of excess intake of folic acid is an increase in WBCs. 4  A deficiency of folic acid can also lead to anemia, which is a low level of red blood cells. 5  So if you’re low on either, increasing intake of folic acid may help.
5ed253c5923b598be5d5693c3a72fe01
B12 Deficiency & Low White Blood Cell Count While a B-12 deficiency can lead to a type of anemia, a blood disease that affects your red blood cells, the vitamin is not generally associated with white blood cell production. Talk to a doctor if you need medical advice about vitamin B-12 and a low white blood cell count.
eb58026afa1f1970824071d6f0d9a45c
- A low WBC count is often linked to problems with the bone marrow and the inability to make enough white blood cells. Autoimmune diseases that attack your white blood cells can also lead to a low WBC count. Several different prescribed drugs, including chemotherapy, are known to decrease WBC production or destroy WBCs.
8bff2992d3a3e0f7161b3bcd0d8a8ac5
What is a normal white blood cell count? A low white blood cell count (leukopenia) is less common. Certain medications, infections, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, heavy alcohol use, and problems in the bone marrow can cause a low white blood cell count.
1e0c7f36f63a8194a88ad170e328374f
Leukopenia Causes Medical conditions. Low white cell count may be due to acute viral infections, such as a cold or influenza. It has been associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, myelofibrosis, aplastic anemia (failure of white cell, red cell and platelet production), stem cell transplant, bone marrow transplant, HIV, AIDS, and steroid use.
eadbadb35cb59932269ac0ce326a9d73
What Does Low White Blood Count Mean? White blood cells, also called the leukocytes, help fight off infections in your body. Normally you will have between 3,500 and 5,000 white blood cells per microliter of blood. Less than this is considered low. A low white blood cell count means your body's ability to fight off infections is compromised. Types White blood cells come in five types: basophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils.
81c543f7e5b2aa20cc79cbad9391cf18
- It is called a low white blood cell count, or neutropenia, when a person has too few neutrophils. This makes it harder for the person to fight off germs, and more likely to get sick from infections. In general, an adult with who has fewer than 1700 neutrophils in a microliter of blood has a low white blood cell count.
95191205e2c80a6185a6e1098a538c67
Leukopenia Other causes of low white blood cell count include systemic lupus erythematosus, Hodgkin's lymphoma, some types of cancer, typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, rickettsial infections, enlargement of the spleen, folate deficiencies, psittacosis, sepsis, Sjögren's syndrome and Lyme disease.
03e075dbd8dea24760d3093a7423c7a9
Recognizing the Symptoms of Low White Blood Counts Low white blood cell counts (WBC) can be particularly problematic, because your white blood cell count is so closely tied to your immune system’s ability to protect you from infection. Because a low white blood count can be life threatening, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the symptoms and terminology. When you get your blood work, the lab will be looking for: Leukopenia – A decrease in the total number of white blood cells, which can lead to a lowered white blood cell count. Neutropenia – A decrease in the number of neutrophils, also creating a lower WBC. Granulocytopenia – Another term that may be used for Neutropenia.