blood test results, please explain?

Question

i had a routine blood test which the nurse said showed my white blood cells are low so i had another one and today she told me that the first one was 11.4 and this one is now 12.6, what does this mean? i have been feeling run down and getting bad headaches but put this down to being a busy mum, also i keep getting pain and bruises over my legs without any reason. any ideas!!!

i saw my gp today and she explained that my white blood count is slightly high but she can't understand why the hospital is concerned by this as a major infection would show a count of about 40 so 12.6 is no reason to worry but is going to repeat blood tests in two weeks as the reason for the concern is that im due an operation and the surgeon said he won't do the operation with my high blood count so it just shows you what a difference of opinion you can get. no wonder people without medical knowledge panic, i will sleep well tonight lol

Answer 1

Seems the test was a complete blood count.

11,4 and 12,6 seem results of hemoglobin. Both were OK if they were (the cutpoint is 11,3 for women)

Answer 2

Go back to your GP. The normal range for white blood cell count is between 3.7 and 10.5 so not sure how yours can be low at 11.4 and 12.6. Are you sure the GP is not referring to Heamoglobin - that normal range is between 11.5 and 15. On that basis 12.6 would be OK - mid range. The thing is that these counts can change on a day to day basis. I would go back to the GP but in the meantime, just try and relax. May be you are just feeling a bit run down like we all get but the worry of these tests are getting on top of you. Good luck. x p.s these ranges were given to me by a BUPA doctor following a recent health check I had.

Answer 3

I think you really should discuss these results with your nurse or doctor, did you not ask what they meant at the time ? Are they doing any further tests ?
Below is some info about white blood cells from Wikepedia, read it all and note that flu and many common medications can cause a low white cell count before you start to worry.

Leukopenia (or leukocytopenia, or leucopenia or leukopaenia) is a decrease in the number of circulating white blood cells (leukocytes) in the blood. As the principal function of white cells is to combat infection, a decrease in the number of these cells can place patients at increased risk for infection.

In pancytopenia, the other cell types in the blood (red blood cells and platelets) are similarly affected.

Neutropenia is a decrease in the number of circulating neutrophil granulocytes, the most abundant white blood cells. The terms leukopenia and neutropenia may occasionally be used interchangeably, as the neutrophil count is the most important indicator of infection risk. However, neutropenia is more properly considered a subset of leukopenia as a whole.

Low white cell counts are associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, leukemia (as malignant cells overwhelm the bone marrow), myelofibrosis and aplastic anemia (destruction of the bone marrow by the immune system). In addition, many common medications can cause leukopenia.

Other causes of low white blood cell count include: Influenza, systemic lupus erythematosus, typhus, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, dengue, Rickettsial infections, enlargement of the spleen, folate deficiencies and sepsis. Many other causes exist.

Leukopenia can be identified with a complete blood count.

Answer 4

Hmm.. your glucose is high, as is your white blood cell count. Your WBC could indicate infection, but it's still not high enough to be serious. How long after you ate was your glucose taken? Was it within a few hours, or longer then that? I ask because I'm concerned about diabetes. Your glucose shouldn't be that high if you have just eaten normally, even a few hours after you eat. Your blood pressure is a little high, but not bad.. and the number they worry about is below normal, so that's fine. I would worry about either an infection of some kind, or diabetes. Usually, with this kind of diabetes, they can control it with medication and/or diet. Dizziness is a sign of low blood sugar. Did they check your sugars the first time you went to the ER? Have you been drinking and going to the bathroom more in the last little while? These are both signs of diabetes.

Answer 5

Your results must be in a unit I'm not familiar with. Normals in the system we use run 4.5 to 11.0 for adults. But if it was low, up is a good thing. :)

there are several reasons for a white count to be low, and your doctor will be able to tell you better than I can. But it can be stress related, and parenting is often stressful. Bruising isn't related to the white count, but if it's down, there's a chance your platelet count may have dipped as well, which can cause bruising.

My best answer is to call the doctor and see if he might recommend doing a coagulation (PT and PTT) test to rule out a blood problem causing your bruises, and ask if he thinks any further action needs to be taken to correct your white count.

Best of luck.

Answer 6

Sounds like (1) the nurse did an inefficient job of explaining the results (2) You -- liike most of us -- failed to ask the right questions of the nurse/doctor about what these 'mysterious' numbers mean!

One website refers to white bloodcell counts measured thus:
QUOTE
"What does the test result mean?
An elevated number of white blood cells is called leukocytosis. This can result from bacterial infections, inflammation, leukaemia, trauma, or stress. A WBC count of 11.0–17.0x109/L cells would be considered mild to moderate leukocytosis.

A decreased WBC count is called leukopenia. It can result from many different situations, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or diseases of the immune system. A count of 3.0–5.0x109/L cells would be considered mild leukopenia."

NOTE that if your numbers were to relate to this then your count would be deemed HIGH!

You really need to go back to the Doc and ask him what the results mean, and what he would recommend. You need to tell him how you have been feeling though and about the bruising. Whilst being run down could relate to the aftermath of an infection...which can affect white cell count -- you ought to speak to your GP rather than get more stressed or worried about what might be suggested here (on Y!Answers).

Answer 7

It sounds like the 11.4 and 12.6 might be referring to your hemoglobin level, which is written as Hb, but without knowing what letters those levels refer to, it is impossible to correctly answer your question, so try to get that info and i will try my best to answer your question!
the white blood cells she is referring to are leukocytes, which are part of your bodys defense team or immune system. I dont think the 11-12 reading is referring to your white blood cells because she mentined they were "low" and this is not a low value for WBC.

Answer 8

IF 11.4 and 12.6 referred to white blood cells that would mean borderline high. I wonder if the figures you are giving refer to haemoglobin, in which case they are normal.

Here is a wild suggestion, why not go back and ask the nurse, she actually has the results!

Answer 9

You need to discuss the results futher.
Try asking for a telephone consultation with the nurse.

I work as a practice nurse and we lay aside time slots to phone people and discuss issues such as these.

It may be that she recommends you see a Dr.

Do it tomorrow so you don't spend any more time worrying.

I'm sure you will be fine, white cell and platelet counts, can vary for all sorts of reasons.
Some times after a virus.

Answer 10

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