Information
Editors
Leucocytosis
Essentials
- Diagnose a severe infection as the cause of leucocytosis immediately and arrange treatment without delay.
- Absence of leucocytosis does not rule out severe infection or malignant haematological disease.
- If the cause of leucocytosis is not apparent, order further investigations considered necessary.
Starting points
- Leucocytosis refers to an elevation of the total number of white cells in blood. This can be caused by a rise in the absolute or relative amount of one or more leucocyte types.
- Neutrophilia
- Lymphocytosis
- Monocytosis
- Eosinophilia
- Basophilia
- Leucocytosis may be associated with
- infections and inflammations
- medication (e.g. glucocorticoids)
- physical or emotional strain
- malignant haematological disease.
Reference intervals
Reference ranges (mean ± 2 SD or 95%) for white cell parameters
Patients | Leucocytes (× 109 /l) | Differential (%) | Absolute number (× 109 /l) |
---|
Adults | 3.4 -8.2 | | |
Neutrophils | | 35-72 | 1.6-6.3 |
Lymphocytes | | 18-52 | 1.2-3.5 |
Monocytes | | 4-12 | 0.2-0.8 |
Eosinophils | | 1-6 | 0.01-0.40 |
Basophils | | 0-1 | 0.00-0.09 |
Children | | | |
Newborn | 9.0-38.0 | | |
1-2 weeks | 5.0-21.0 | | |
3-4 weeks | 5.0-19.5 | | |
1 month-1 year | 6.0-17.5 | | |
2-6 years | 5.0-14.0 | | |
7-12 years | 4.5-13.5 | | |
>12 years | 4.5-13.0 | | |