WBC count

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Basophil (Close-up)

Formed elements of blood

Overview

Risks

Results

WBC count

Alternative Names:

Leukocyte count; White blood cell count

Normal Values:

4,500-10,000 white blood cells/mcl (cells per microliter)

What abnormal results mean:

Low numbers of WBCs (leukopenia) may indicate:

bone marrow failure (for example, due to infection, tumor, fibrosis)
presence of cytotoxic substance
collagen-vascular diseases (such as lupus erythematosus)
disease of the liver or spleen
radiation

High numbers of WBCs (leukocytosis) may indicate:

infectious diseases
inflammatory disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or allergy)
leukemia
severe emotional or physical stress
tissue damage (for example, burns)
anemia

This test may be performed under many conditions and in many disease states.

Review Date: 2/3/2005
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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