What does it mean to have low lymphocyte, low neutrophils, low WBC, and borderline low RBC(lowest in range is 4.20 and mine is 4.20.)?? Is this common in lupus patients?
2007-10-12 12:53:28 · 3 answers · asked by c'est_moi 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
The RBC stands for Red Blood cells, these cells contain
heme (iron) which picks up the oxygen molecules we
breathe in and carries it throughout our bodies.
The WBC stands for White Blood Cells and is our immune
defense. They attack anything that is foreign that enters our
bodies or tries to harm it once it is inside our bodies.
The Platelets are what helps our body to heal. They rush
to the site that is open in our bodies and form a substance
known as fibrin to help close up the area. You can read
this on this site and see what each looks like:
http://www.heritagechristian.ca/science/science9/functions_components_blood.html
Your RBC is in the lowest range of what is considered
normal.
There are different types of WBC...lymphocytes known
as the B and T cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils,
etc. Each of them is like a separate warrior which
takes care of certain things in our fight against a
foreign enemy in our body. To have them below a
normal range can come from a number of different
diseases and be caused by a number of different things.
You should be with a Hemotologist at this time. Your
medical history and your family medical history will be
very important. This may be caused by taking certain
medications you may have to take. Some are known
to lower the white cell counts. If you are on immune
suppressive medications, it can also cause this.
You don't say if you have a low platelet count also.
If all your cells counts are low (RBC, WBC, and Platelets)
they call this pancytopenia. Your counts can also go down if
you have had a prolonged infection or inflammation for some time.
Here is an article on Lupus:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lupus/DS00115/DSECTION=6
It states on this site, that low cells counts can be one of
the signs of lupus:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/low-white-blood-cell-count/AN00726
The best test to have to see what is the cause of this
low count is a Bone Marrow Biopsy. If they do this
procedure on you, ask to be sedated.
If you have a low cell count, the doctor may do more
than one blood test on you over a period of time to
see if it stays low. Your blood chemistry changes
all the time. One test isn't enough to determine this.
He will be sure of the accuracy of the tests before he
proceeds to doing other things.
If you develop any kind of fever, get in touch with the
doctors office immediately or go to the emergency room.
Be very careful being around other who may be sick,
have been sick, or been around others who are sick.
If you touch things that have been touched by others,
like fruit in grocery stores and vegetables...wash
thoroughly before eatting. Avoid salad bars and
communal dips that people dip food into. If you are
not where you can wash your hands, use purell, or germ-x
to kill the germs...Wash hands frequently. People touch
things like door knobs, shopping cart handles, money, etc.
If you go out somewhere, think about taking a bath as soon
as you come home and putting your clothes in the wash.
Try to stay away from anything you might be allergic to...
flowers, foods, etc. Stay away from animal feces. This is to protect you from contacting anything that may lower your white blood cell counts even further than they already are. If you have to mow the grass or rake leaves, etc. consider getting a mask for your face. If you gardening, consider wearing gloves and a mask. These are usually found in the pharmacy area or paint area of stores.
No one here can diagnose the cause of your cell counts,
only the doctor can. I hope this information is of some
help to you.
2007-10-12 14:50:11 · answer #1 · answered by abijann 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi there !
Low counts in the blood can result due to so many reasons.
any chronic infections, poor diet, poor iron intake, any cause which ends in more destruction of cells from blood stream like antibodies, drugs etc, bone marrow involvements etc etc..
As there are innumerable number of causes , and as it has relation to pateints clinical history , the best person to whom you can talk will be your own consultant, who knows the pateint best....agree ?
best wishes !
2007-10-12 20:09:18 · answer #2 · answered by suresh k 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What drugs are you taking for the Lupus?
2007-10-12 20:32:36 · answer #3 · answered by gillianprowe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋