With the appearance of a child in the family, parents have many wonderful and unforgettable moments. First smile, first word, first steps. All these achievements of the baby are the most important for his parents. Mom and dad try to give their child only the best and protect him from all sorts of adversities. But, despite the gentle and vigilant guardianship, it is a child's nature to be sick.
What protects the child from disease?
Getting into this world from the sterile conditions of the mother’s womb, the child is confronted with the numerous world of microorganisms.
His acquaintance with the smallest representatives of life forms begins with the first breath. For a baby’s sterile organism, each microorganism carries a threat. But, fortunately, nature took care of the defenseless creature, giving it powerful protection - immunity. The immunity of a newborn completely depends on his mother. It is the mother who is able to give powerful protection to the baby's body along with the first drops of milk. So conceived by nature, and no one can invent or invent a better one.
But the child is not able to withstand all the microorganisms that are found on his life path. As a result of such a meeting, the occurrence of diseases. If a child finds symptoms of the disease, we hasten to consult a specialist - pediatrician. Having carefully examined your child, the doctor will recommend a blood test for a complete picture.
What can a blood test tell about?
An extensive blood test can say a lot about the physiological state of the child at the moment. Blood tests, transcript, LYM - all these concepts are important for the doctor. According to this indicator, the doctor can judge the state of immunity of your baby.
What are blood tests, LYM talking about, what is it and what is it for? So, you have a sheet with a lot of symbols and numbers incomprehensible to the average person. Only a medical specialist can understand them. But something to understand in force and to a person without a specialized education. For example, what is LYM? A blood test, the decoding of which is given below, will help to understand the intricacies of medical terms.
Usually, in the sheet with the results of a complete blood test, there are the following main points:
- Hb - hemoglobin. This indicator indicates the content in the blood of a special protein, which is a carrier of oxygen in the human body.
- Ht is the hematocrit. The value of this indicator indicates the ratio of blood cells to plasma.
- RBC - red blood cells. This position is closely related to the amount of hemoglobin, since it is the red blood cells - red blood cells - that are carriers of this important protein.
- CPU - color indicator. It indicates the ratio of hemoglobin to the number of red blood cells.
- WBC - white blood cells. This position indicates the content of special bodies responsible for opposing the body to various infections.
- NEU - neutrophils. This indicator provides information on nonspecific immunity cells, the task of which is to absorb and neutralize foreign microorganisms and bodies.
- EOS - eosinophils. These cells also represent non-specific human immunity , which manifests itself in allergies and parasitic diseases.
- LYM - lymphocytes. This position describes the state of specific immunity and characterizes the inflammatory processes in the human body. For a specialist studying blood tests, decoding LYM is very informative.
- PLT - platelets. These special shaped elements are responsible for blood coagulation and adsorb on themselves the remains of spent immune compounds.
- ESR - erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The value of this indicator tells the doctor about the presence in the body of inflammatory or other pathological diseases.
Next to these indicators are actually detected values and maximum permissible values. This is what the blood test carries. Decoding LYM in children is made in accordance with the age of the child. Regulatory indicators change as your child grows older.
What are lymphocytes?
What does the mysterious abbreviation LYM tell us? A blood test, the decoding of which is already known to you, indicates the content in the blood of special particles - lymphocytes.
Lymphocytes are formed elements of the blood that make up the
human immune system . This is a group of agranulocytes, one of the types of white blood cells called “white blood cells”. The following positions are included in the tasks of lymphocytes:
- Providing humoral immunity or antibody production.
- Contact with victim cells. This provides immunity at the cellular level.
- Activities to regulate other types of cells.
Normally, the lymphocyte count in children is 30 - 70% (depending on age). But the blood contains no more than 2% of all white blood cells, since the rest of them are dispersed throughout the body and is deployed in the tissues. According to a blood test, the doctor judges the normal content of lymphocytes in the body. For him, the LYM indicator (blood test) matters. Decoding (the norm is also indicated there) will tell you everything. A condition in which their number exceeds the norm is called lymphocytosis. If their content is below the limits, then this is called leukopenia.
A unique property of white blood cells is the ability to recognize antigens. Lymphocytes are formed in the following organs of the human body: tonsils, lymph nodes, spleen, Peyer's plaques, bone marrow and appendix. At rest, lymphocytes are small cells with a stained dark nucleus. The nucleus contains a large amount of chromatin and a little cytoplasm with mitochondria, which are in separate form. If the morphology of lymphocytes is carried out, then two types can be distinguished:
- Large cells of a granular type (usually NK cells, rarely immunoblasts and lymphoblasts in a state of division).
- Small cells (T and B lymphocytes).
Based on the functions that lymphocytes perform in the body, they are divided into three main types: B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes and NK-lymphocytes.
B lymphocytes
B lymphocytes are cells that are able to recognize hostile structures or antigens. In response, they produce special protein molecules - antibodies.
About 10-20% of all specific cells are transformed into the form of B-lymphocytes. A feature of these structures is the memory of contact with a foreign agent, whether it be a virus, bacterium or a chemical compound, and the development of a unique mechanism for its neutralization. As long as these cells are alive, they retain this acquired memory. They are also able to transmit this information to newly formed B-lymphocytes. It is thanks to these cells that it is possible to effectively carry out the vaccination process.
T lymphocytes
T - lymphocytes are a kind of regulators of immunity. Their content in the blood is 60-85% of the total mass of lymphocytes. Having passed blood tests, the decoding of LYM will indicate precisely this type of lymphocyte. The precursors of this group of Taurus enter the thymus or thymus, where they mature. That is why they are called T-lymphocytes. These cells are divided into several types:
- T lymphocytes carrying the CD4 marker. They are involved in regulating the process of differentiation of B-lymphocytes and the production of antibodies.
- T-lymphocytes, CD4 marker carriers. These bodies cooperate with phagocytes and help them neutralize microbial cells. Two groups of CD4 marker carriers are combined into a class of T-helpers.
- T-suppressors capable of suppressing the immune response either by cytotoxic effects on antigens, or by the release of cytokines, or by signaling negative regulation.
- T-cells carrying the CD8 marker, referred to as T-killers. These cells are able to recognize and destroy structures infected with viruses and other intracellular pathogens.
The main functions of T-lymphocytes in the human body are:
- Stimulation of B-lymphocytes to proliferation and differentiation.
- The ability to suppress the immune response.
- Antigenic specificity of T-helpers and T-killers.
NK lymphocytes
NK - lymphocytes carry the function of controlling the quality of all cells in the human body. They account for 5-20% of the total number of lymphocytes.
Recognizing a deviation from the norm in the cell, NK - the lymphocyte is able to destroy it. The abbreviation NK stands for Natural Killer, which refers to how these cellular substances work. Having discovered a marker of inconsistency on the cell, NK - lymphocyte eliminates it, ensuring histological purity in the human body. Its action is mainly aimed at combating cancerous tumors and cells transformed by viruses.
So, the available blood tests (decoding LYM) will tell the doctor about whether the child's lymphocyte count is normal. At this stage, we can speak of a normal, increased or decreased content of these cells in the blood. Normal lymphocyte counts are shown in the table.
Table of normalized indicators of lymphocytes
| Patient age | Limits of fluctuations in the norm of lymphocytes |
| The relative amount,% | Absolute amount (10 * 9 / ml) |
| Adults | 19-37 | 1.0-4.8 |
| 10-16 years old | 30-45 | 1.2-5.2 |
| 5-10 years | 30-50 | 1,5-6,8 |
| 2-4 years | 33-50 | 2.0-8.0 |
| 1-2 years | 37-60 | 3.0-9.5 |
| up to 12 months | 45-70 | 2.0-11.0 |
The most informative for assessing this indicator is a general blood test (decoding LYM LY). Lymphocytes (the available indicators are compared with the norm) will indicate an increased or decreased content of these elements in the blood.
Increased lymphocyte count (lymphocytosis)
There are two types of lymphocytosis:
- The relative increase in lymphocytes in the blood speaks only about the increased percentage of the latter in the general leukocyte formula. In this case, the total number of lymphocytes does not increase. Blood tests (decoding LYM) will indicate their number. Relative leukocytosis is characteristic of typhoid fever, influenza, Birmer anemia, chronic forms of splenomegaly, aleikia, diseases of the endocrine system (Addison's disease and bazedova disease), some forms of vitamin deficiency, physical exhaustion, dystrophy, the state after preventive vaccination and in the process of recovery after acute infection.
- An absolute increase in lymphocytes is characteristic of chronic and benign syphilis, reactions after subcutaneous administration of adrenaline, benign tuberculosis, pertussis (in combination with leukocytosis), ulcerative tonsillitis, and lymphatic leukemia.
Decreased lymphocyte count (lymphopenia)
Lymphopenia or lymphocytopenia can also be of two types:
- Relative lymphopenia, found in the vast majority of cases, is expressed in a decrease in the percentage of lymphocytes in the leukocyte formula. In this case, the absolute number of lymphocytes may be normal or elevated. This phenomenon is characteristic of leukemic myelosis, neutrophilic leukocytosis (sepsis, croupous pneumonia).
- Absolute leukopenia is rare. It is characteristic of severe acute infectious diseases. For example, for acute sepsis, measles, sarcoma, lymph node tuberculosis, cancer. LYM (general blood test, decoding of all indicators) should be known to specialists for the diagnosis and further examination of the patient.
Which specialist consultation is needed?
To consult and identify the form of the deviation of the level of leukocytes from the norm, making an accurate diagnosis, you will need to consult a hematologist, TB specialist and venereologist. A general blood test is very informative for these specialists . Decoding LYM (increased or decreased) will help to make the correct diagnosis. With a comprehensive examination and timely professional treatment, there is always a chance for the patient to recover completely.