Other names: White Blood Cell Count
Understand your white blood cell (WBC) count, normal ranges, and what high or low levels mean. Learn how WBC levels affect your health and immunity.
WBC test results explained for infections or autoimmune conditions.
A white blood cell (WBC) count is a blood test that measures the number of white blood cells in your bloodstream. It is a critical marker for detecting infections, inflammation, and various medical conditions.
White blood cells, or leukocytes, are essential components of your immune system. They help fight infections and play a role in inflammation and immune response. There are five primary types of WBCs:
Doctors recommend a WBC count test for several reasons:
A CBC is a common blood test used to evaluate overall health and diagnose various conditions, including anemia, infection, and leukemia. It measures:
A CBC with WBC differential provides detailed counts of each type of white blood cell, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils.
The normal WBC range is 3,800 to 10,800 cells per microliter (3.8 to 10.8 × 10x9/L).
However, normal values may vary slightly depending on the laboratory. Always consult your healthcare provider to interpret your results.
| Age Group | Normal WBC Range (10³/µL) |
|---|---|
| Newborns | 9.0 – 30.0 |
| Children (1–10 yrs) | 6.0 – 17.5 |
| Adults (Male) | 3.8 – 10.8 |
| Adults (Female) | 3.8 – 10.8 |
Regular monitoring of your WBC count can provide valuable insights into your health, help detect hidden medical conditions, and guide effective treatment plans. Always discuss test results with your healthcare provider for personalized advice.
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A higher than normal WBC count is called leukocytosis. A white blood cell count that's higher than usual most commonly is due to an infection or inflammation.
In the instance of infection, the source is likely bacterial. The causes of inflammation are varied. Physical stressors like exercise, seizures, anxiety, tobacco use, burn injuries, heart attack, appendicitis, and splenectomy can result in inflammation. There are a few chronic conditions that lead to inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis. Some cancers (like those of the bone marrow) can cause an abnormal white blood cell count.
A high white blood cell count hence may be due to:
- Certain drugs or medicines
- Cigarette smoking
- After spleen removal surgery
- Infections, most often those caused by bacteria
- Inflammatory disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or allergy)
- Leukemia or Hodgkin disease
- Tissue damage (for example, burns)
What are symptoms of a high white blood cell count?
In most instances, there are no specific symptoms related to an elevated white blood cell count, though symptoms associated with the underlying medical condition may occur. However, in extreme cases, such as when leukocytosis occurs because of a condition affecting the bone marrow, symptoms directly related to an elevated white blood cell count may occur.
Here is a look at why the specific types of white blood cells could be increased:
Elevated neutrophils: Your bone marrow may make a higher number of neutrophils if you have a bacterial infection or are experiencing acute stress or trauma.
Elevated eosinophils: Allergies can cause an increased number of eosinophils. Also, if you have Addison disease, collagen vascular disease, parasitic infection, or cancer, you may have increased eosinophil production.
Elevated lymphocytes: Your bone marrow may produce excess lymphocytes if you have a viral or chronic bacterial infection, lymphocytic leukemia, or multiple myeloma.
Elevated monocytes: This can be due to chronic inflammatory disease, leukemia, parasitic infection, tuberculosis, or viral infection.
Elevated basophils: This can result as a side effect of splenectomy, allergic reaction, chronic myelogenous leukemia, collagen vascular disease, myeloproliferative diseases, and chickenpox.
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A low number of WBCs is called leukopenia. A decrease in total white blood cell count is unusual and generally a cause for concern.
There are a few conditions within the body that cause white blood cell levels to drop, including:
- A severe infection, such as sepsis, which is wiping out blood cells faster than the body can make them
- A disease affecting the bone marrow, like lupus or HIV
- Medications that impact the bone marrow (e.g chemotherapy)
- Bone marrow deficiency or failure (for example, due to infection, tumor, or abnormal scarring)
- Cancer treating drugs, or other medicines (see list below)
- Certain autoimmune disorders such as lupus (SLE)
- Disease of the liver or spleen
- Radiation treatment for cancer
- Certain viral illnesses, such as mononucleosis (mono)
- Cancers that damage the bone marrow
- Very severe bacterial infections
- Severe emotional or physical stress (such as from an injury or surgery)
If you follow a whole food, plant-based (i.e., vegan) diet, your white blood cell count (including Neutrophils and Monocytes) might be on a lower level. Research studies are supporting the hypothesis that people on a vegan diet have overall lower WBC counts. For those individuals, the optimal reference range should be adjusted downwards to 3.11 - 8.83 x10E3/µL [L, L, L, L].
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Anthony
Unlimited Plan Member since 2021
I have been using Healthmatters.io since 2021. I travel all over the world and use different doctors and health facilities. This site has allowed me to consolidate all my various test results over 14 years in one place. And every doctor that I show this to has been impressed. Because with any health professional I talk to, I can pull up historical results in seconds. It is invaluable. Even going back to the same doctor, they usually do not have the historical results from their facility in a graph format. That has been very helpful.
Karin
Advanced Plan Member since 2020
What fantastic service and great, easy-to-follow layouts! I love your website; it makes it so helpful to see patterns in my health data. It's truly a pleasure to use. I only wish the NHS was as organized and quick as Healthmatters.io. You've set a new standard for health tracking!
Paul
Healthmatters Pro Member since 2024
As a PRO member and medical practitioner, Healthmatters.io has been an invaluable tool for tracking my clients' data. The layout is intuitive, making it easy to monitor trends and spot patterns over time. The ability to customize reports and charts helps me present information clearly to my clients, improving communication and outcomes. It's streamlined my workflow, saving me time and providing insights at a glance. Highly recommended for any practitioner looking for a comprehensive and user-friendly solution to track patient labs!
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Haemoglobin (g/L), Hematocrit (Female range), Hematocrit (HCT) / Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Hemoglobin, Hemoglobin (Female range), Mean Cell Volume, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), Mean RBC Iron, Mean RBC Iron Concentration, Mean RBC Volume, MXD #, MXD %, Platelet count / Platelets, Platelet Distribution Width (PDW), Platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR), RBC (Female range), RBC Distribution Width, RDW-CV (Red Cell Distribution Width) in %, RDW-SD (Red Cell Distribution Width) in fL, Red Blood Cells (Erythrocytes / RBC), White blood cells (Leukocytes / WBC)
