What Is Lymphocytes Blood Test?

Submitted on March 27, 2012

What are Lymphocytes?

Lymphocytes are an integral component of blood in human beings. They vary in size and shape based on their function in the human body. Lymphocytes perform various different functions. Lymphocytes are also an important part of the human immune system. There are natural killer cells which would locate and destroy potentially harmful cells like virus infected cells. T cells and B cells are other types of lymphocytes that are reactive in nature. When they identify a potentially hazardous component in the blood, they form an immune response to this. This is the basic method of functioning for the immune system.

Why Is a Lymphocytes Blood Test Performed?

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.

Test Results

Lymphocytes test results are vital in diagnosing a person or understanding their condition. A high lymphocyte blood test result will indicate that the person's immune system is active and fighting off an infection. A person who is suffering from an illness will have a high lymphocyte count. In the case of a low lymphocyte blood test result, the doctor will suspect a non functioning immune system or one that is suffering from trauma. A patient who has had a surgery may have a low lymphocyte count. Low lymphocyte levels can also indicate the effect of the HIV virus which destroys T cell lymphocytes in the body. This could cause common and harmless infections to become potentially life threatening to an infected individual.

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.

What Is Lymphocytes Transformation?

Lymphocyte transformation is something that occurs when a lymphocyte is exposed to a particular virus or antigen. This is also known as blastogenesis. This involves a complete change in the behavior and shape of the lymphocyte cells and occurs as a response to an illness or virus. During transformation, lymphocytes absorb proteins and divide themselves into large groups of cells that are capable of fighting an infection. To test the working of the lymphocytes, and therefore the immune response, a lymphocyte transformation test may be performed.

Lymphocyte Proliferation Test

Lymphocyte proliferation occurs in B lymphocyte cells. B cells are active in production of antibodies against viruses and illnesses. A lymphocyte proliferation test will show the functioning of the B lymphocyte cells. The cells are exposed to a particular antigen which is bound to the cell. This results in the cell producing clones of its self to fight that particular antigen. The cells then become different and will respond to the antigen.

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