Abnormal CBC Results?

Question

After going to the cardiologist for high blood pressure problems, he did some blood work on me. My CBC came back abnormal.

WBC = 20.1 (Norm 8-10.8 Thou/uL)
RBC = 5.15 (Norm 3.80-5.10 Mill/uL)
Hemoglobin = 16.5 (Norm 11.7-15.5 g/dL)
Hematocrit = 47.8 (Norm 35.0-45.0%)
MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW all with in normal ranges.
Platelet = 365 (Norm 140-100 Thou/uL)
Absol Neutrophis = 15537 (Norm 1500-7800 cells/uL)
Absol Monocytes = 1246 (Norm 200-950 cells/uL)
Absol Eosinophils, Absol Lymphocytes, Absol Basophils at normal ranges.
Percentages: Neut 77.3%; Lymp 15.9%; Mono 6.2%; Eosin 0.3%; Baso 0.3%.

No obvious signs of infection at time of testing (as well as prior or since testing).

Other information: 24 yr white female, 220lbs, non-diabetic (glucose test on met. panel was normal), smoker (>1 pack a day), non-alcoholic, no caffeine, fasting prior to testing, polycystic ovarian syndrome, normal thyroid function, high blood pressure.

On my Basic Metabolic Panel, my Chloride was low (97 - normal 98-110 mol/L) and my Calcium was high (10.3 - normal 8.6 -10.2 mg/dL). Also, my BUN/Creatinine Ration was high (24 - normal 6-22). Other tests (PTH, Intact & Calcium; TSH, 3rd Generation; and T-4 Free) were all normal.

Not sure what other tests I should ask for to be done next, or if I should ask to be transfered to a blood specialist. My general DR is planning to do a repeat CBC in 5-6 weeks, but not planning to do any other tests till then, as far as I know.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. I'm worried about polycythemia vera, but don't know if I should be worried about it or not.

I did ask my DR, but she seemed to be more concerned that there was an infection than anything else. When she told me about the test results, she asked me how I had been feeling, and I said fine (except for feeling crappy because of high blood pressure at the time of the testing). She also did a sed rate test (sedimentation rate), which I assume was normal as I haven't heard back from her about that test. But other than asking me about infection, she didn't say anything about why the tests could have been that high.

Answer 1

Did you ask the doctor? (That's the best source. He/she knows you better.)

Answer 2

Cbc Abnormal

Answer 3

The results do not suggest Polycythemia since the RBC number is near normal, and even though the the platelet count is high, platelet counts can vary substantially from person-to-person, and this number is still within a range that is often seen in healthy people. High WBCs are not a good diagnostic of polycythemia because they naturally become elevated in response to an infection.

Since you are a smoker, its possible that you have a low-grade sinus infection that you might not even be aware of. If you have any symptoms like chronic bad breath, post-nasal drip, or frequent sinus headaches, that would indicate a sinus infection. Otherwise, its not unusual for someone who is perfectly healthy to have several results outside the norms. Not meeting blood count norms is not a health problem if you do not have any symptoms caused by abnormal counts.

What's important with results like these is to look for any notes indicating abnormal WBCs, particularly blast cells. If no blast cells or other cell abnormalities were noted, and you do not have any symptoms of anything, then you are fine. Retest in a few weeks if you are worried - maybe the WBCs will drop to normal.

Answer 4

May I suggest that your next step would be to see a Hematologist. I suggest this because your white counts are higher than normal and your Monocytes and Netrophils are higher than normal. Without any symptoms, but with high scores like these, I was diagnosed with CLL---chronic lymphocytic leukemia. I have NO SYMPTOMS other than my abnormal bloods. The disease has a scary name, but if you're under a Hematologist's care, you can be assured that someone is watching your bloods for you, and can make necessary recommendations if/when the time comes. You may not have a disease at all ---but with abnormal blood counts like these, it would put your mind at ease to know that you've been diagnosed by a competent Hematologist who can guide you. As we all know, when a disease is caught early, there can be great hope for holding it at bay, if not curing it.
I go for blood checks every 4 months, and I'm fine, despite the high blood counts and the disease. I feel great and know that the Hematologist will guide me properly.

Answer 5

High WBC is a sign of infection or disease.

Neutrophils deal with defense against bacterial infection and other very small inflammatory processes and are usually first responders to bacterial infection; their activity and death in large numbers forms pus.

Normally a serious bacterial infection causes the body to produce an increased number of neutrophils, resulting in a higher than normal WBC count .

Answer 6

k not to scare you or ne thing, but when you have a high wbc count genually that means that your body is fighting something bad, and i goodled it and it said cancer but my best advice is to talk to the Dr about it, take some xrays of your lungs. good luck