During childbirth, the child undergoes a sharp transition from a sterile environment, which is the womb, to a non-sterile environment.
During this period, the child is protected from the hostile factors of the surrounding new world only by antibodies transmitted to him by the mother's body.
His own body is not yet able to produce protective antibodies. Gradually, the formation of the immune system. And only by the age of 6 can we talk about mature immunity. Lymphocytes are the main strength of good immunity. They specialize in eradicating viral infections. Lymphocytes are divided into:
- B-lymphocytes are scouts, they are looking for alien, hostile microorganisms;
- T-lymphocytes are controllers, they control the body’s immune response, if you want to strengthen this reaction, then T-hellers come into play, and if you need to suppress, T-suppressors are activated;
- NK-lymphocytes - “natural killers” - they destroy foreign cells.
Lymphocytes in the blood of an adult normally make up 20-35%.
In children, this indicator is not constant and varies depending on age:
- from the moment of birth to 4 days - 20-22%;
- 4-7 days - 40-45%;
- 8 days - 6 years - 45-67%, and the maximum lymphocytes in the blood of a child in 12-24 months;
- from the age of 6, these numbers begin to decline and by the age of 15 they stabilize within 20-35%.
Lymphocytes in the blood of a child are increased or lowered, a hemogram will show.
Lymphocytosis
A pathological increase in the level of lymphocytes - lymphocytosis - is divided into relative and absolute.
Relative lymphocytosis is an increase in the percentage of lymphocytes in the leukocyte formula while maintaining their normal number.
With absolute lymphocytosis, the total number of lymphocytes in the blood increases.
If it is revealed that the lymphocytes in the blood of a child are increased in a relative type, this indicates an infectious disease. The child’s body carries diseases more severely, the immune system reacts very violently, so the tests immediately show an increased level of lymphocytes. But recovery in babies takes less time than in adults. In addition, if the lymphocytes are elevated, the causes may be as follows:
- typhoid fever;
- some types of vitamin deficiencies;
- endocrine pathologies;
- starvation;
- the period after preventive vaccinations.
A blood test showing that the blood lymphocytes in the child are elevated by the absolute type should be the basis for a serious examination, as this can be a symptom of such formidable diseases as tuberculosis, rubella, acute viral hepatitis, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus infection, lymphocytic tonsillitis, hyperthyroidism, leukemia as lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphosarcoma. In these cases, the lymphocyte level may reach 90-95%.
Lymphocytopenia
Lowering the level of lymphocytes below normal is called lymphocytopenia. Lymphocytopenia is also relative and absolute. Relative lymphocytopenia is accompanied by inflammatory-purulent processes, pneumonia. Absolute lymphocytopenia is observed with pathologies of the red bone marrow, with the death of a large number of lymphocytes, for example, with HIV.
It is very important to start treatment in a timely manner, because the consequences can be frightening. Protecting the body (and especially children) is the basis of health, and you must ensure that the number of lymphocytes is always normal.