Lymphocytes Blood Test
Before getting into the details of a high lymphocytes blood test and a low lymphocytes blood test, it helps to know the role that lymphocytes actually play in the human body. The body’s immune system is its primary defense mechanism and is required to make sure that infection causing organisms such as fungi and bacteria are unable to penetrate the body. Lymphocytes are part of the white blood cells that are responsible for this defense and are created by the same stem cells that create all other blood cells. While it is important for the body to store a healthy reserve of lymphocyte cells on a regular basis, one should also be wary of a significantly high lymphocyte cell count. Also known as lymphocytosis, the condition is said to be present anytime the lymphatic count in 1 microliter of blood exceeds a count of 2900. This however should not be taken as a general rule; as the lymphocyte counts tend to vary significantly from individual to individual as well as from age to age. The most common causes of high lymphocyte counts include viral or bacterial infections, cancer of the blood as well as an ongoing chronic inflammation that is the result of some autoimmune disorder. There are a number of underlying medical conditions that will cause the increased number of lymphocytes in the body as the immune system tries to get to grips with any medical condition.
Lymphocytopenia is low blood cell count and can also be triggered by the presence of some kind of virus or bacteria. The condition will usually show no symptoms and is, more often than not, simply noticed when a regular medical checkup has been performed. There are a number of other causing factors of low lymphatic cell count such as the presence of some neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis and Guillian Bare syndrome. Certain types of cancer are also known to cause lymphocyte cell drop. Certain types of medication are also known to cause the same problem.
High and Low Lymphocytes Blood Test
The lymphocytes blood test is performed in the very same way that any other blood test may be performed. For either the high lymphocytes blood test as well as the low lymphocytes blood test, no significant preparation may be required as the results need to reflect your blood count as per your everyday condition. The overseeing doctor will then ask you be seated before tying something towards the top of the arm in order to allow a build up of blood around the area the blood sample will be taken from. Once the vein has seemingly swollen up with blood, a syringe will be inserted and any blood extracted will be stored in the capsule attached to the needle. This blood sample will then be labeled and sent to the laboratory for analysis. Once the syringe has been removed, the doctor will place a piece of gauze or cotton to prevent any significant loss of blood.
Absolute Lymphocyte Blood Test Range and Results
The absolute lymphocyte blood test results will be calibrated with the lymphocyte blood test range in order to determine whether the patient suffers from lymphocytosis or from lymphocytopenia. High lymphocytosis test results will depend on the individual patient as the normal readings are based on a person’s age. Anything above a reading of 9000/mm3 in a child of about 4 years and younger will fall into the category of suffering from a high lymphatic count while children of the age 5 to 12 will be said to suffer in the event they have a count of above 7000/mm3. Children above the age of 13 years and adults are medically affected when their lymphatic count is above 4000/mm3.