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Question: WBC Concerns
| Kalter
- Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:37 pm |
Hello!
I am a 14 year old female, and I just recently had a blood test for the first time. My parents were concerned about the possiblity of Anemia, since I matched some of the symptoms (constant fatigue, rapid heartbeat, breathlessness, pale complexion).
When I got the results today, however, I found out that my neutrophils and lymphocytes were abnormal. My neutrophil count is at 32.
8% (low, according to the results), and my lymphocytes are at 56.
6%. The rest of the report read:
WBC 5.
9 th/uL
RBC 4.
84 mil/uL
Neutrophils 32.
8% (LOW)
Lymphocytes 56.
6% (HIGH)
The only other thing that came out "abnormal" was my phosphorus level.
Phosphorus 5.
0 mg/dL (HIGH)
Quite frankly, I don't know what to make of these results. Does this mean anything? And what could be the cause of it...?
Thank you for your time.
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| Dr. Chan Lowe
- Fri Feb 09, 2007 3:19 am |
 Your WBC count of 5.
9 is considered normal. The neutrophil percentage of 32.
8 is only very mildly low. Your lymphocyte percentage is actually normal for your age.
Lymphocytes are a type of WBC that help fight off infections such as viruses. Neutrophils tend to help more with bacterial infections. It is quite possible that you recently were fighting off a virus (even if you didn't actually get sick-in which case your immune system did its job well).
Your phosphorus level is also only mildly high and is not alarming.
All in all, I would say that you can rest easy about your labs. Nothing strikes me as concerning. Also, it is possible that your fatigue, breathlessness, etc. may be realted to a viral infection that was causing the shift in your WBC types more towards lymphocytes. Anemia is a good thought also. I am presuming, though, that your Hemoglobin levels were normal.
Anemia is quite common in young girls. I generally recommend that all girls who have started their menses take a multivitamin with iron supplement to ensure that there is enough iron for the body to make new red blood cells to replace the ones being lost monthly.
Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other questions.
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