Lymphocytes are raised, neutrophils are lowered - or how to decipher analyzes?

Everyone at least once in his life took tests and then worked hard to understand what the incomprehensible figures and words mean, how serious it is for the state of his body. Let's try to decipher together some of them, for example, if the leukocytes are elevated, the neutrophils are lowered.

At the very beginning it is worthwhile to figure out what it is - neutrophil, leukocyte, what function they perform, what they affect and what they show. After all, without elementary knowledge of the types of certain blood cells, it is difficult to understand what is threatening our health, if lymphocytes are raised, neutrophils are lowered, and why such processes occur in the blood.

So, leukocytes are white or colorless blood cells, having an irregular or round shape. In the human body, they are a kind of barrier to the development of infectious inflammatory processes. The fact is that these cells contain in their composition special enzymes that are able to absorb microorganisms, destroy the decay products that inevitably form in the process of vital activity, as well as protein substances of alien origin.

Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cells that protect human immunity. They recognize and destroy pathogens of various infectious diseases, tumor cells and fungi. In the blood, lymphocytes come from the bone marrow, where they, in fact, are formed.

Neutrophils are also a kind of leukocytes. Most of them are in the blood for only a couple of hours, after which neutrophils penetrate into the organs and tissues to the foci of infection (trauma, burns, wounds, etc.) for purposeful struggle. Mature neutrophils are called segment-nuclear neutrophils.

From what has been said above it becomes clear that when lymphocytes are elevated, neutrophils are lowered, each type of blood cells equally fights infections, but at the same time has its own characteristics. Now let's talk in more detail about the relationship between the parameters of leukocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils.

If the results of the tests show that the lymphocytes are elevated, the neutrophils are lowered, this usually indicates the presence of an inflammatory process or a viral disease in the body. Depending on what was studied (urine, blood, smear, etc.), one can judge a possible foci of infection. As a rule, the increase in lymphocytes is characteristic for viral infections, tuberculosis, thyroid problems, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphosarcoma. Lowering the level of neutrophils is also due to the defeat of viral infections, severe forms of inflammation, side effects of a number of drugs, treatment with radiation therapy, etc. Thus, if it is determined that the lymphocytes are elevated, the neutrophils are lowered, it is worth immediately contacting a specialist to identify the causes and focus of the disease.

Another version of the result of the tests: when the segmented neutrophils are lowered, the lymphocytes are increased, this indicates the already transferred viral disease, for example, ARVI. As a rule, such changes in the analysis of blood are temporary, and gradually the indicators come back to normal. In general, the decrease in the level of segmented neutrophils occurs due to treatment with cytostatics, the effects of ionizing radiation, aplastic anemia and immune agranulocytosis - the death of neutrophils in the bone marrow and blood, i.e. At the stage of their origin. However, in combination with elevated lymphocytes, it indicates that the infection "is on the wane".

It is also possible that the leukocytes are elevated, the lymphocytes are lowered. Reduction of lymphocytes is called lymphopenia. This is mainly due to renal failure, the development of acute forms of infections, miliary tuberculosis, the terminal stage of cancer, X-ray therapy, etc. Elevated levels of leukocytes are possible with infectious and non-infectious diseases, development of malignant tumors, leukemia, due to trauma, etc. This can also be facilitated by a number of physiological causes, for example, stress, overload, premenstrual period, etc. Thus, the increase in leukocytes in combination with a decrease in lymphocytes can signal the presence of infection in the body, as well as the possible development of the tumor.