What happens if leukocytosis increases

White blood cells play an important role in the human body, but there is a certain quantity requirement. If the number of a certain type of white blood cells suddenly increases beyond the normal range, it can also lead to a series of diseases. It is usually caused by local infection, intracranial infection, headache, lung infection, cholecystitis and other diseases, so special attention should be paid. It can cause a lot of harm to the human body, so people need to pay special attention.

1. Basic Information

Leukocytosis refers to the total number of white blood cells or the absolute number of a certain type of white blood cells in the peripheral blood exceeding the normal range.

2. What happens if leukocytosis occurs?

Common diseases

Rabies, poliomyelitis, chickenpox, measles, infectious mononucleosis, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, polyarteritis nodosa, dermatomyositis, vasculitis, nephritis, pancreatitis, colitis, thyroiditis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary infarction, gastric cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, renal cancer, thyroid crisis, diabetic acidosis, uremia, hepatic coma, acute gout, eclampsia, hyperadrenocortical insufficiency, chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, etc.

3. Causes

1. Infectious diseases

1. Symptoms include fever, systemic infection and poisoning symptoms, while localized infection often has localizing signs.

2. Intracranial infection causes headache, vomiting, neck stiffness and even mental changes. Pathogens can be detected by cerebrospinal fluid smear and culture.

3. Oral and throat infections include oral ulcers, redness and swelling, and congested and swollen tonsils. Examination of throat swabs and oral secretions is meaningful.

4. For lung infection and other symptoms such as cough, sputum, and chest pain, imaging can indicate the location and nature of the lesion, and sputum culture can provide guidance for treatment.

5. Cholecystitis is characterized by right upper abdominal pain, tenderness in the gallbladder area, enlarged gallbladder on B-ultrasound, and edema and thickening of the gallbladder wall.

6. Infectious enteropathy is characterized by diarrhea, mucus in the stool, or even blood and pus in the stool. Pus cells can be found in the stool, and pathogens can be found in stool culture.

7. Urinary tract infection includes low back pain and urinary tract irritation symptoms, tenderness in the renal area, leukocytosis and even pus cells in urine routine test, and bacterial growth in urine culture.

8. Infectious mononucleosis is characterized by fever, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, rash, blood lymphocyte classification of 60% to 97%, atypical lymphocytes greater than 10%, positive single-point test, and positive EBV-specific serological examination.

9. Patients with malaria have a history of contact with epidemic areas, and may experience periodic and intermittent chills, high fever, splenomegaly, anemia, soy sauce-like urine, and malarial parasites may be found in blood and bone marrow smears.

10. Tuberculosis: low-grade fever, night sweats, weight loss, loss of appetite, cough, hemoptysis, sputum, elevated ESR, PPD test (+), chest X-ray or CT showing infiltrative pulmonary lesions, caseous lesions or nodular calcifications.

2. Rheumatic diseases

Fever, joint pain, swollen lymph nodes, rash, and systemic poisoning symptoms are relatively mild, multiple blood cultures are negative, and no infection foci are found in urine and stool examinations, chest X-rays, and B-ultrasound. The diagnosis can be confirmed by combining accompanying symptoms and related examinations.

3. Arterial embolic disease

There is severe pain at the embolization site, such as precordial pain in myocardial infarction, ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, elevated myocardial enzyme test results, severe chest pain, hemoptysis, dyspnea, deepening of S wave in lead I of the electrocardiogram, significant Q wave in lead III, inverted T wave, and inverted T wave in the right chest lead in pulmonary infarction.

4. Neoplastic diseases

If the neutrophil count is unexplained, neoplastic disease should be considered, and the examination should focus on the stomach, lungs, liver, spleen, pancreas, breast, uterus, kidneys and other parts. B-ultrasound, CT, local angiography, tumor marker testing and even puncture biopsy can aid in diagnosis.

5. Blood diseases

Myeloproliferative diseases are manifested by splenomegaly, increased RBC and WBC, and may be accompanied by increased eosinophils and alkalophils. In CML, neutrophils are significantly increased and the Philadelphia chromosome may be found. In polycythemia vera, Hb is >175g/L and arterial oxygen saturation is close to normal. In essential thrombocythemia, PLT is >60×109/L. The recovery period of megaloblastic anemia and granulocytosis is manifested by a rebound increase in ANC. In acute leukemia, the bone marrow primitive cells (i.e., leukemia cells) are often greater than 30%, and some have special chromosomes.

(VI) Others

Hyperthyroid crisis includes history of hyperthyroidism, high T3T4 and low TSH; diabetic acidosis includes history of diabetes, elevated blood sugar and acidosis on blood gas analysis; acute gout includes severe pain in the big toe joint, elevated blood uric acid and punch-like translucent defects on X-rays. After this type of disease is controlled, ANC quickly returns to normal.