What are blood sticks? Doctors mean by this word stab neutrophils. These cells are a type of white blood cell. Their concentration in the blood can say a lot about human health. After all, neutrophils are necessary to protect against infections. To find out their number, you need to donate blood from a finger for examination. Next, we consider the acceptable indicators of the analysis and the possible causes of deviations.
What it is
White blood cells are divided into several varieties. The most numerous of them are neutrophils. They are produced by bone marrow. These cells are necessary for the normal functioning of the immune system. When an infectious agent, allergen or toxin enters the body, then neutrophils are sent to the lesion. They attack a foreign protein and digest it. At the same time, neutrophils die, but new protective cells form in their place.
During maturation, each neutrophil goes through several stages:
- myeloblast;
- promyelocyte;
- metamyelocyte;
- stab neutrophil;
- segmented neutrophil.
Segmented neutrophils are mature cells. They are able to move freely in the bloodstream and fully combat infectious agents, allergens and toxins. The nuclei of such cells have a segmented shape.
Band neutrophils are a young form of cells. Otherwise, they are called young or immature neutrophils. The nuclei of young cells are rod-shaped. Such neutrophils cannot yet reach the lesion and destroy foreign agents. Subsequently, stab neutrophils mature into segmented.
The role of sticks in the body
The sticks in the blood usually appear at the very beginning of the inflammatory disease, when there are no clearly expressed symptoms of pathology. When a foreign agent enters the body, the bone marrow throws young neutrophils into the bloodstream. The main task of these cells is to mature into a segmented form, and then enter the fight against infection or toxin.
When the rods turn into mature neutrophils, a person has pronounced symptoms of an inflammatory reaction and an increase in temperature occurs. This is a sign that segmented cells have begun to attack a foreign protein.
Varieties of analysis
There are two types of general blood test (KLA):
- No white blood cell count. In this case, only the total level of white and red blood cells, hemoglobin, and also the ESR reaction are determined. The concentration in the blood of each type of leukocyte this study does not show.
- With a white blood cell formula. In addition to the indicators of red blood cells, hemoglobin and ESR, the analysis determines the level of each variety of white blood cells, including the number of stab and segment cells.
If you need to know the level of sticks in the blood, then you need to take a referral to the KLA with a detailed decoding of the leukocyte formula.
Study preparation
Capillary blood from a finger is taken for analysis. In order for the test results to be reliable, you need to properly prepare for the study:
- 2 days before the study, refuse spicy and fried foods.
- Before analysis, do not smoke for several hours.
- Do not drink alcohol on the eve of the study.
- Avoid heavy physical exertion.
- Do not supercool.
- Refrain from taking medication. If you have to take medication constantly, you must warn the doctor about this.
- If the patient has undergone tooth extraction, or underwent endoscopy of the digestive tract, then the analysis can be taken no earlier than 7 days after the procedure. Otherwise, an erroneous number of white blood cells can be determined in the blood.
Analysis is recommended to be taken on an empty stomach. Meal is allowed 8 hours before the procedure.
Norm in adults
Test results are usually ready every other day. The results of the study will indicate the percentage concentration of stab neutrophils. Separately, the number of segmented cells is counted.
The permissible level of sticks in the blood of an adult is from 0.5 to 1%. This norm is the same for both men and women.
Norm in children
In children, normal stab cells are significantly higher than in adults. The table below shows the reference values of the concentration of sticks depending on age.
| Child age | The concentration of sticks (in%) |
| Up to 3 months | 7-15 |
| 3 to 6 months | 3-8 |
| From six months to a year | 2-7 |
| 16 years | 1-6 |
| 6-14 years old | 1-5 |
Reasons for deviations
If the level of sticks in the blood is elevated, this indicates a pathology. This deviation is called neutrophilia. In adult patients, this may be due to the following reasons:
- viral inflammation in the upper respiratory tract;
- diabetes mellitus;
- allergies
- inflammatory renal pathologies;
- diseases of the stomach and intestines.
If "lowered" sticks in the blood are determined, then doctors call this deviation neutropenia. In adults, this indicates that the body has chronic inflammation. In this case, the supply of stab cells is depleted due to a prolonged fight against infection. Neutropenia is also noted with a sharp decrease in immunity in cancer patients after chemotherapy.
In addition, neutropenia can be a physiological feature of a given patient. In this case, the results of the analysis do not speak of pathology. There is also a cyclical decrease in stab neutrophils, which lasts 2 to 3 days. Then the blood counts return to normal. This feature is genetic in nature.
If the sticks in the blood are elevated in a child, then this indicates the following pathologies:
- gastrointestinal diseases;
- helminth invasion (ascariasis, infection with flatworms);
- inflammatory processes in the throat, sinuses and ears.
Childhood neutropenia may be due to the following reasons:
- fungal infection;
- viral pathologies (hepatitis, measles, flu);
- severe intoxication with drugs or chemicals;
- anemia
- vitamin deficiency;
- exposure to radiation (including chemotherapy).
A decrease in the concentration of sticks in the blood in a baby is a dangerous symptom. This suggests that the child has sharply reduced body resistance. If in the analysis, along with neutropenia, elevated lymphocytes are detected, then this indicates a severe inflammatory process.
However, in some cases, neutropenia is not a sign of disease. Analysis may give false results due to the use of analgesics. Therefore, it is necessary to inform the doctor about all the medicines that the patient is taking.
If the exponent is zero
In some cases, the patient is completely absent blood sticks. What does it mean? A zero indicator may indicate the following pathologies:
- dangerous diseases of bacterial etiology (brucellosis, tularemia, typhus and typhoid fever, diphtheria);
- severe viral pathologies (measles, flu, rubella);
- poisoning with medicines or chemicals;
- radiation sickness;
- malignant tumors;
- bone marrow pathology;
- vitamin deficiency B12;
- severe anemia.
Zero concentration of stab neutrophils is called agranulocytosis. This condition always indicates a serious dysfunction in the body.
The absence of sticks in the blood of a child may indicate congenital neutropenia. Such children should be registered with a doctor. They are very susceptible to infections: pneumonia and purulent inflammation. Diseases in these babies are very difficult.
During pregnancy
Often in pregnant women, an elevated level of sticks in the blood is determined. The reason for this is the body's response to the embryo. The immune system recognizes the fetus as a foreign body. As a result, the bone marrow releases a large number of immature neutrophils into the bloodstream. As pregnancy develops, the level of sticks increases.
If at the same time a woman feels well, then this should not cause concern. However, if the patient has signs of inflammation or a constantly elevated temperature, then additional diagnostics are necessary. It is important to remember that infectious diseases during pregnancy are very dangerous.
What to do in case of deviations from the norm
The concentration of the rods in the blood test only indicates various pathologies. It is impossible to raise or lower the level of immature cells with the help of special tablets. It is necessary to cure the underlying disease, and then the sticks will return to normal.
To identify the etiology of neutrophilia or neutropenia, the doctor may prescribe additional studies:
- Ultrasound of internal organs;
- analyzes of smears from ENT organs for bacterial seeding;
- gynecological smear;
- PCR diagnostics;
- analysis of feces for helminth eggs.
- examination by an otolaryngologist.
Most often, an increase or decrease in immature cells is associated with inflammatory diseases of a bacterial, viral or fungal nature. In this case, the doctor prescribes antibiotics, corticosteroids, as well as immunomodulators.
The most dangerous neutropenia caused by radiation, severe anemia, bone marrow diseases and tumors. In this case, the patient needs to tune in to long-term treatment.
If the deviations are caused by accidental reasons, then it is necessary to eliminate the unfavorable factor. For example, if neutropenia is associated with vitamin deficiency, you need to review your diet and abandon a strict diet. If the sticks are lowered due to medication, then you need to see a doctor and consult about replacing the drug with a more gentle one. This will help to normalize blood counts.