The human body is a true miracle. Even a cell or organ that we don’t see or consider unimportant can be life-saving. One of these leukocytes, or popularly known as white blood cells or red blood cells. leukocyte, They are the main soldiers of the defense wall of our body. Therefore, the increase or decrease in the number of cells is critical.

Leukocytes This is why disease-related diseases are a concern. Because due to a decrease or increase in the number of white blood cells in the body, the immune system does not work properly. What are leukocytes, what happens in the body if it increases or decreases, We answered questions such as which diseases cause a change in the white blood cell count in the body and explained the important details you need to know.

What is a leukocyte?

Leukocytes, popularly known as white blood cells or red blood cells, It is produced by stem cells and stored in the bone marrow. In cases such as infection or inflammation in the body, these white blood cells are released by the marrow and provide body protection.

When recognizing poisonous toxins, viruses, fungi and bacteria that have somehow entered the body, the leukocyte leaves the vessel and is problematic. quickly towards the area He starts fighting with the enemy he knows. Normally it makes up only 1% of the blood, but when it encounters a harmful organism, it quickly multiplies by dividing.

How many types of white blood cells (leukocytes) do we have in our body?

Even though we are talking about white blood cells under one title called leukocyte basically according to their functions and functions. 3 main groups, We can both divide these 3 basic groups into 3 separate subgroups. 3 types of basal leukocyte groups; granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes. To divide it into subgroups;

• Granulocytes
  • Basophils: make up 1% of total leukocytes, but increase rapidly during typical allergic reactions.
  • Eosinophils: Respond quickly to parasitic infections.
  • Neutrophils: They are scavengers that destroy bacteria and fungi in the body.
• lymphocytes
  • B cells: They produce antibodies that are necessary for the immune system to respond to infections.
  • T cells: They recognize the cells causing the infection and ensure that they are removed from the body.
  • Natural killer cells: they recognize and destroy cancer and viral cells.
• Monocytes: They make up 2% to 8% of white blood cells and fight chronic infections.

So what should the ideal leukocyte value be?

• The number of leukocytes per cubic millimeter in newborn babies should be between 13,000 and 38,000.
• In 2-week-old babies, the number of leukocytes should be between 5,000 and 20,000 per cubic millimeter.
• The leukocyte count in adults should be between 4,500 and 11,000 per cubic millimeter.
• The leukocyte count in pregnant women should be between 5,800 and 13,200 cubic millimeters.

This is the normal leukocyte ratio that should be in the human body. However, the rates listed here contain a general definition. According to the person’s health history higher and lower rates can also be considered normal. Before you worry, you should definitely consult your doctor about the problem.

Causes high leukocyte value:

• Asthma-like allergic reactions
• Severely damaging burns, heart attack and other trauma that can cause white blood cell death
• Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and vasculitis
• Infections caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
• blood cancer, also called leukemia

This type of condition is usually caused by the high number of white blood cells in the body. High leukocyte count It is called leukocytosis. In addition to these conditions, some surgical procedures are also known to cause leukocytosis.

Causes low leukocyte value:

• HIV virus that causes lupus or AIDS
• Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or various toxins that damage the bone marrow
• Bone marrow damage due to various causes
• blood cancer, also called leukemia
• lymphoma, also called lymphoma
• sepsis, a serious infectious disease
• Vitamin B12 deficiency

These types of conditions are generally caused by a low white blood cell count in the body. High leukocyte count It’s called leukopenia. If an infection is suspected to be causing the condition leukopenia, the status of white blood cells can be checked regularly with blood tests.

How is the leukocyte measurement done?

If your doctor suspects a condition caused by low or high leukocytes during the physical examination A white blood cell count test called WBC maybe want. It’s not always a bad thing for your doctor to order this test. A leukocyte count may be requested to rule out some possibilities.

The white blood cell count can be easily determined with the well-known blood test. However, if you want to see much more detailed results in some cases, spinal fluid can also be taken. A white blood cell count may be ordered for allergy testing, infection testing, leukemia testing, to monitor the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants, and so on.

How does the leukocyte rate increase or decrease?

Some herbal treatments are mentioned for people with high or low leukocytes. This, however a serious matter Do not apply the cures at home that you find in your own internet searches. You should definitely consult your doctor about this problem.

The rate of white blood cells can be reduced with a blood filtering procedure called leukapheresis or with drugs such as hydroxyurea. Due to cancer treatment methods such as chemotherapy If the number of white blood cells in the body has decreased, it may also be advisable to avoid foods that contain a lot of bacteria. This prevents possible infections.

In the case of low leukocytes Eating yogurt, which is rich in zinc and calcium, and walnuts, which are rich in vitamin E, can increase your white blood cell count. In the case of high leukocytes Drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding sugar and stress, not smoking and exercising regularly can lower white blood cell counts. But let’s reiterate, don’t apply any of these without consulting your doctor.

the invisible soldiers of our body What is a leukocyte, what does it do? We answered questions such as what happens in the body when it falls or falls, and we explained what to look out for. Let us remind you again that what we have explained here is for informational purposes only and you should not do any application without consulting your doctor.