In the article, we consider what this means - white blood cells are below normal. In science, they are also called white blood cells. These include neutrophils along with eosinophils, basophils, monocytes and lymphocytes. The general orientation of the functions of all white blood cells is the protection of the human body. An increase in the number of these elements is called leukocytosis, and a decrease is called leukopenia. Not too dangerous when white blood cells are slightly below normal. What this means is described below.
Basic concepts
Modern medicine, under this term, refers to a heterogeneous category of cells that are similar in two of the following parameters: the presence of a nucleus and the absence of an independent color. Due to the latter characteristic, these elements are also called white blood bodies. In the human body, they actually perform one function - protective. In medical terms, such blood instruments provide nonspecific protection of the human body from the pathological effects of agents of endogenous and exogenous origin.
What does this process look like?
Such a process looks as follows: foreign bodies that enter the body attract a large number of white blood cells that can penetrate through the capillaries. Faced with a pathological agent, white bodies surround them, starting the processes of absorption. Depending on the size and activity of foreign bodies, this process can be accompanied by inflammation in the affected area with varying degrees of intensity, and at the same time, with the classic symptoms of the inflammatory process in the form of high temperature, redness of the area near the affected area and swelling.
Leukocyte death
In the course of eliminating the threat, white blood cells die in large numbers themselves. And out they are displayed in the form of pus, which is a dense cluster of dead cells. Such destruction of harmful microscopic organisms or bodies is denoted by the special term phagocytosis. So, what constitutes the blood elements in question is understandable. Next, we will understand what this means - white blood cells are below normal.
Leukopenia: the main causes in adults
The low content of these cells is called leukopenia. It involves a decrease in the immune functions of the human body. If you do not cure it in a short time, the consequences can be very serious, even fatal. As in cases with leukocytosis, this condition has two types: pathological and physiological. Sometimes white blood cells are slightly below normal. What this means is important to find out in advance. The causes of leukopenia are the following factors:
- The patient has leukemia or tumor lesions of the brain.
- Enlarged spleen.
- The presence of infectious diseases (measles, rubella, flu, viral hepatitis and the like).
- Radiation sickness.
- Deficiency of substances necessary for the formation of new cells (we are talking about vitamins B 1 , B 12 ), as well as stress.
- The use of certain medications.
If the white blood cell count is below normal, what does this mean, the doctor will tell. The external symptoms of leukopenia include chills, along with a rapid pulse, headaches and enlarged tonsils. Having determined the reasons for the deviation, you can proceed to treatment. A hematologist necessarily prescribes, among other things, a diet and a drink of B vitamins, as well as iron-containing drugs.
Decreased immune function
White blood cells play a very important role in protecting the body from all kinds of bacteria and viruses, so deviating their concentration from the standards lowers the immune function, which affects the condition as a whole. The total content of each type of white blood cells can tell a specialist about the presence of a particular disease. Now we find out what factors provoke a low content of these blood elements in the children's body.
Causes of a low white blood cell count in a child
So, white blood cells are below normal, what does this mean in a child? As you know, the described blood elements in insufficient quantities can speak of impaired protective functions, weak immunity or a number of diseases. Leukopenia in children happens in such cases:
- The effect of radiation.
- The presence of bone marrow disease.
- The impact of certain viral and infectious pathologies (herpes, sepsis).
- The presence of vitamin deficiency and the development of acute leukemia.
- Taking some medications.
It is worth noting that when white blood cells are below normal in a child, this is a dangerous condition for the body. At the same time, the glands swell in children, along with the spleen, tonsils, there is a fever and a headache appears in combination with exhaustion and heart palpitations.
In order to stimulate the production of leukocytes, special preparations are prescribed by the pediatrician, and the disease that caused this problem is also treated. Thus, if the doctor confirms the child’s leukopenia, then the treatment will directly depend on the reasons that caused the violation.
Treatment for low white blood cell count in women
Before discussing the normalization of the number of leukocytes in the blood, in the gynecological smear and urine in women, it is important to realize that the reason that the leukocytes in the blood is below normal is often a specific disease that needs to be eliminated. Self-medication can harm yourself. In this regard, the main condition that can help bring the indicator in question to normal is, first of all, the diagnosis of causes and their treatment.
When the white blood cells are below the norm in a woman, a special diet (therapeutic nutrition) along with folk remedies can serve as additional methods, provided that the patient first consults with the doctor and she does not have the corresponding contraindications. Home treatment can be used simultaneously with the main therapy, but not in its place. It is worth emphasizing that in the presence of a disease, a change in nutrition alone will not exactly produce the desired effect, but it can aggravate the situation.
Treatment in men
I must say that if the white blood cells are below normal in the blood of an adult male, therapy is no different from the recommendations that doctors give women. In the event that leukopenia is the result of an infection, then the white blood cells quickly return to normal. At the same time, it is very important to strengthen your immunity by fully eating. It is extremely important not to get too cold, as well as not to contact with patients during the epidemic and to refrain from visiting any crowded places. This will certainly help the body quickly restore the protective mechanism and return to normal.
When white blood cells are below normal in an adult, it can be caused by more serious health problems, and a person will need special therapy. The main treatment will be primarily to eliminate the factors of leukopenia - the fight against the underlying disease. In addition, the following measures are required:
- Providing a safe environment for the patient. In severe cases, patients are placed in sterile special boxes, and their communication with other people is limited.
- Blood transfusion (i.e. leukocyte mass).
- The appointment of a drug course that will contribute to the production of white blood cells in the body. For example, various drugs that improve the metabolic process.
- It will also require detoxification treatment, which is aimed at reducing intoxication of the body.
- Prescribing antibacterial pharmaceuticals. This is due primarily to the fact that for people with leukopenia, even any conditional pathogenic bacteria that enter the natural microflora can be a danger. And the process of activation of microbes in the form of, for example, Staphylococcus aureus against the background of low white blood cells can lead to sepsis.
How to increase white blood cells in a child?
If white blood cells are below normal in a child, first of all, it is necessary to first make sure that the process of preparing for the study was correct. Incorrect delivery of biomaterial along with the use of individual products on the eve may lead to a distorted indicator in the analyzes.
Without fail, parents must show the results of the analysis to the pediatrician. He will give all the required recommendations, after which he will refer the small patient to a consultation with the appropriate specialists. It is important to pay attention to what medications the child has taken recently. The abundant use of antibiotics along with the appointment of sulfonamides and a number of analgesics can lead to an instant decrease in white blood cells. In this regard, we must try to exclude such drugs from use whenever possible.
Otherwise, the treatment of leukopenia in a child is carried out according to individual indicators and in each case requires its own approach, which the attending physician will help determine. Now let's talk about alternative methods of therapy.
Clinical nutrition to increase white blood cells in children and adults
With such a disease, it is important to exclude animal fats along with easily digestible carbohydrates (that is, the liver along with pork, kidneys, milk, cheese, butter, pastries, sweets).
Nutrition must be strictly balanced, and at the same time rich in protein and various vitamins (especially groups B and C, folic acid). No less important are trace elements in the form of magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, polyunsaturated fatty acids. For such treatment, additional nutritional supplements are required, which are prescribed by the doctor.
To increase the intake of products that increase the level of leukocytes in the blood, you need to eat greens along with red caviar, buckwheat, seafood, oats, nuts, eggs, as well as red fruits and vegetables (pomegranates, beets). The meat of chicken, turkey or rabbit will also be useful in this case.
Folk recipes that help boost white blood cells
What else can be done if the white blood cells are below normal in the blood of women, men and children? We give the following effective methods:
- Using a decoction of oats. To do this, take two tablespoons of grain plus a half glass of water. The product is boiled over low heat, insisted during the day and taken a third of a glass twice a day for a month. You must drink this medicine on an empty stomach.
- Tincture of sweet clover. Two tablespoons of dry grass pour a glass of boiling water, insist for at least four hours. Take three times a day before meals for one month.
- Means of wild rose with nettle and strawberries. All are mixed in small quantities, approximately in equal proportions, poured with warm water (500 milliliters), put in a water bath (for twenty minutes). Allow to cool and insist for an hour. Take 50 milliliters three times a day for one month.
- Any freshly squeezed juices (fresh) from beets or carrots are also useful. You can make beet kvass. To do this, coarsely chop vegetables in a glass jar and pour boiled water. Add salt and three tablespoons of honey. Close with gauze. They put in a dark place for three days. Take 50 grams three times a day before meals.
Conclusion
It should be remembered that therapeutic nutrition, as well as folk remedies, are only additional methods of control that help to cope with low white blood cells. Basic therapy is prescribed only by a doctor. As for small patients, for the normalization of elements in the blood, folk remedies, as a rule, are not used, since they can provoke a negative reaction in a growing body. In this regard, it is better to completely trust the attending pediatrician.
We examined what this means - white blood cells are below normal.