What does an abnormal neutrophil count mean?

In clinical practice, there are many diseases that require patients to undergo a routine blood test before treatment. This can not only clearly determine whether the patient has an inflammatory infection, but also whether the patient is anemic. When patients receive their routine blood test results, they always find that their neutrophil count is not within the normal range. So what does it mean if their neutrophil count is abnormal?

Neutrophils are one of the items in the routine blood test. Generally speaking, the increase of this item can be divided into several situations:

First of all, there is a bacterial infection in the body. The total white blood cell count and neutrophil count are much higher than normal. Clinically, symptomatic antibiotic treatment is often used according to the condition.

Secondly, there is a viral infection in the body. The total white blood cell count is not high or slightly higher than normal, and the neutrophil count is also slightly higher than normal. However, in this case, the lymphocyte count is much higher than the normal value. Antiviral treatment is mostly used clinically, but in the later stage of viral infection, due to secondary bacterial infection, the white blood cell and neutrophil count will also increase abnormally.

Another situation is that when the body is allergic, the neutrophil count is slightly higher and the eosinophil count is abnormally increased. If a secondary bacterial infection occurs at a later stage, the total white blood cell count and neutrophil count will also increase abnormally.

In addition, in addition to playing an important defensive role in anti-infection, neutrophils can cause inflammatory responses at the site of infection and participate in allergic reactions triggered by parasitic infections, thereby causing immunopathological damage. Antibodies act directly on antigens on tissues or cells, and neutrophils bind to the IgGFc segment on the surface of target cells through their Fc receptors, exerting ADCC effects, thereby causing cytotoxic allergic damage; when the antigen-antibody ratio is appropriate and an immune complex of 19S size is formed, it is not easily phagocytosed and is deposited on the capillary wall, activating complement and attracting neutrophils to the local area.

Neutrophils bind to immune complexes through Fc receptors and C3b receptors and phagocytize them. During the phagocytic process, neutrophils degranulate and release a series of lysosomal enzymes, causing damage to blood vessels and surrounding tissues. Neutrophils also gather at the site of IgE-mediated immediate allergic reactions, indicating that neutrophils are also involved in the pathological damage caused by immediate allergic reactions.

After knowing what an abnormal neutrophil count means, if you find that your neutrophil count is higher than the normal value, it means that you may have a bacterial infection. At this time, you need to use antibiotics for anti-inflammatory treatment. In severe cases, intravenous injection may be required to completely eliminate the bacterial infection. I hope you understand this.