Leukocytosis can sometimes be life threatening if the high white blood cell count gets dangerously high but most cases of leukocytosis are nothing to worry about.
When you have leukocytosis it means that you have a high white blood cell count and your body is making more white blood cells than normal.
Leukocytosis is a normal immune response from the body that is not always a cause for concern and most of the time leukocytosis means that the body is fighting off infection or inflammation.
When you have leukocytosis it can make you feel like you have the flu and cause symptoms such as chills, fever, fatigue and even sweating.
The symptoms of leukocytosis will most often go away after the illness resolves.
The level of WBC that is alarming is a WBC that exceeds 11,000/μL.
A normal white blood cell count or WBC is around 4,500 to 1,000/μL.
White blood cell counts that are too low or too high can be dangerous.
The 4 causes of leukocytosis are excessive emotional or physical stress like surgery, injury or fever, burns, Immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus and thyroid problems.
Other causes of leukocytosis are allergies and cavities and neutrophilia.
The most common cause of leukocytosis is neutrophilia which is an increased neutrophil count at least 2 standard deviations above the mean or >7700 neutrophils/µL in adults.
Neutrophilia is when you have a higher neutrophil count in the blood than the normal reference range of absolute neutrophil count.
Neutrophilia can be seen in infections, inflammation, and/or neoplastic processes.
The life expectancy of someone with leukocytosis is between 5 years to 10 years.
However some people with leukocytosis have lived longer and the average lifespan of a person with leukocytosis is about 3 years.
Leukocytosis is the medical term that means you have a high white blood cell count, which can occur for a number of reasons.
Rarely having a high white blood cell count can be a symptom of certain blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
The main causes of leukocytosis are increased quantities of lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, or immature cells called blasts which can all contribute to the development of leukocytosis.
Infection, inflammation, allergic reactions, malignancy, and hereditary disorders are also all common causes of leukocytosis.
Leukocytosis can be a sign of leukemia, though there are many other more common and less serious reasons why a person with may have elevated WBC numbers.
Leukocytosis can occur as a normal response to infections, injuries, and illness as the body is healing.
In these situations, the symptoms of leukocytosis can include a fever, chills, sweating, or fatigue, and will usually go away once the illness resolves.
A normal white blood cell count is generally about 4,500 to 11,000/μL. White blood cell counts that are too high or too low may be dangerous, depending on the cause.
A high white blood cell count is called leukocytosis, which is generally diagnosed when white blood cell levels exceed 11,000/μL.
Rarely, a high white blood cell count can be a symptom of certain blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Overall, the most common cause for a high white blood cell count is response to infection.
Another potential cause of an elevated white blood cell count is leukemia.
This is effectively a cancerous change of the blood and bone marrow which causes significant overproduction of white blood cells.