What are lymphocytes? These are cells of the human immune system that are cut off by the bone marrow. Such cells are responsible for the most important function in the body - the recognition and extermination of infections and bacteria through the formation of immunity.
The normal number of lymphocytes in the blood of any adult is considered to be within forty percent of the total number of leukocytes. The level of lymphocytes in young children clearly depends on the age of the child and can change as the child grows: in a newborn, this indicator ranges from 20 to 25%, in a baby who is one week old - 40-45%, and more often than a week to six years 45 to 65% of lymphocytes are considered normal.
The condition when the lymphocytes are above normal is called lymphocytosis, which is divided into relative and absolute.
Relative lymphocytosis - in this state of the body, the percentage of lymphocytes in the blood rises, but their absolute values in the analysis remain within the normal range. The causes of this condition, when the lymphocytes are above normal, are diverse. This can, for example, contribute to any inflammatory process in the body, which is accompanied by purulent formations. With such a pathology, the level of indicators such as leukocytes in the blood test will, on the contrary, be lowered while lymphocytes are above normal. Why is this happening? Neutrophils contribute to all these disorders, and the level of lymphocytes in the blood remains at the same level. But at the same time, in the leukocyte picture, the number of lymphocytes will still be above normal. This will happen due to a decrease in the number of indicators - neutrophils, and in other words, the percentage of any type of white blood cells will change. White blood cells include lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes and basophils. Relative lymphocytosis - this is the condition when the lymphocytes in the leukocyte formula are more than normal in a percentage ratio.
Absolute lymphocytosis is when the entire number of lymphocytes (their total number) in the blood picture rises sharply. This pathology may indicate the presence of diseases in which there is an increased stimulation of lymphopoiesis.
In medical practice, absolute lymphocytosis is the most common, which serves as a sign of the following serious diseases:
- various viral infections (such as acute respiratory infections, all types of hepatitis, CMV, etc.);
- tuberculosis (pulmonary or extrapulmonary;
- lymphocytic leukemia - an acute or chronic bone marrow tumor;
- malignant formations of the lymphatic system (sarcoma);
- increased thyroid function (hyperthyroidism) and other diseases of the endocrine system.
An increased number of lymphocytes in children usually indicates the presence of childhood infectious diseases: such as scarlet fever, measles, chickenpox and others. Even lymphocytosis can be triggered by the use of certain medications, anemia, malnutrition, neurasthenia and Crohn's disease.
To eliminate the condition when lymphocytes are above normal, it is necessary to diagnose a disease that led to a change in normal blood counts. To do this, you must definitely contact your doctor, who must prescribe additional tests to minimize the risk of diagnostic errors. After identifying the disease, it is necessary to be treated strictly according to the prescription of a specialist. Treatment may be lengthy, it all depends on the disease present. After rehabilitation, repeated tests are mandatory. If an increased number of lymphocytes remains in the blood, then this indicates that the doctor made a mistake in diagnosing the disease, and the identification of the disease that provoked lymphocytosis should continue.