Even if we are not aware of it, there are countless defense parts of a powerful machine like our body that aims to work flawlessly. The most important of these is undoubtedly the white blood cells called leukocytes. Neutrophil, one of the types of white blood cells, is the type of cell that first fights with a foreigner such as a microbe or bacteria, or responds first when we are injured.
Since neutrophil is one of the most important parts of our body’s defense mechanism, it has a vital task and therefore its low and deficiency can be extremely critical. With a simple blood test, you can understand whether these values are in the normal range and start a treatment according to the advice of your doctor. What is neutrophil, let’s take a closer look at what it does and see what happens in cases such as low or high neutrophils.
Contents
First, what is a neutrophil?
Neutrophil is a type of white blood cell, one of the most important parts of our immune system, which forms the basis of our body’s defense mechanism. There are three types of white blood cells namely granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes. Neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil; It is a subtype of the granulocyte type. All these white blood cells protect our body, but they differ in their functions.
So what does neutrophil do?
It would be best to explain through an example; Let’s think of our body as a fortress. The task of the white blood cells, which look like soldiers grown in our bone marrow, is to protect this castle and fight the incoming enemy. White blood cells come into play when our body is injured in some way or when a foreigner such as bacteria and microbes enters.
The purpose of white blood cells is to combat the injury or infection in question. Neutrophils are the first line of defense units. The task of neutrophils is to find and destroy foreign microorganisms. We see this struggle as redness and swelling in that area. Neutrophils also form an important part of the healing, that is, tissue repair process.
What should be the ideal neutrophil value?
White blood cells make up 1 percent of the total cells in our body. Neutrophils constitute 50 to 80 percent of white blood cells. A healthy adult should have a minimum of 2500 and a maximum of 7000 neutrophils in 1 microliter of blood. Less than 2500 neutrophils are considered low, and more than 7000 neutrophils are considered high.
What does high neutrophil mean?
If your neutrophil value is higher than 7000, it is called neutrophilia. This condition, also called neutrophilic leukocytosis, usually occurs when you have a bacterial infection. Because when the bacterial infection starts, white blood cells such as neutrophils leave the bone marrow and mix with your blood and start fighting. Common neutrophilia symptoms include:
- Fire
- recurrence of infections
- wounds
- Swelling
- redness
Bacterial infections are the main reason for the emergence of neutrophilic leukocytosis, that is, your high neutrophil value. For example, in cases of bone fracture or severe burns, the number of neutrophils that come out of the bone marrow and mix into your blood can be very, very high. Similar situations can occur with all bacterial diseases. Conditions that increase your neutrophil value are generally as follows;
- Infections
- inflammation
- hurts
- fractures
- burns
- Leukemia (blood cancer types)
- The body’s reaction to different drugs
So what does low neutrophil ratio mean?
If your neutrophil value is less than 2500, it is called neutropenia. When neutropenia occurs, the number of swellings and recurrent infections in your body will increase. The reason for low neutrophils is that the bone marrow cannot produce white blood cells. Conditions that decrease your neutrophil value are generally as follows;
- Infections such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, sepsis, Lyme disease
- Chemotherapy
- Bone marrow disorders
- Vitamin deficiencies such as B12, folate, copper
- Autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
Which tests measure the neutrophil value?
When you see one or more of the symptoms showing that your neutrophil value is low or high, you should go to the nearest health institution and be examined by a specialist doctor. If your doctor suspects your neutrophil value based on the symptoms you describe, he or she may order a complete blood count test CBC, absolute neutrophil count test ANC, and bone marrow biopsy.
Blood tests show the number of neutrophils that have left your bone marrow and mixed with your blood. If your doctor suspects these values, he may order a bone marrow biopsy. For a bone marrow biopsy, a small sample of your bone marrow is taken. In the examinations, it is revealed whether your body produces neutrophils at a healthy rate.
How is low or high neutrophil treated?
- To increase the number of neutrophils;
- Chemotherapy dose or timing is changed.
- The person is given a white blood cell transfusion.
- If there is a drug that lowers the neutrophil or white blood cell count, its intake is stopped.
- Antibiotics or different drugs are given that increase neutrophil and white blood cell production.
- To reduce the number of neutrophils;
- Infection or drug that reduces the number of neutrophils is detected and intervened.
- Antibiotics or other drugs are given.
These are the treatment methods generally followed in cases of neutropenia with low neutrophils and neutrophilic leukocytosis with high neutrophils. You can take some precautions such as paying attention to your hygiene, getting a regular flu vaccine every year, avoiding close contact with sick people and following a healthy diet, but in case of diagnosed neutrophil elevation and low level, treatment must be performed under the supervision of a physician.
If you do not have a disease that causes low or high neutrophils, or if it is not caused by a drug you take, you can apply the methods you use to strengthen your immune system to keep your neutrophil count in balance. Hygiene is of course first priority. If you avoid infections and injuries and stick to a healthy diet and exercise regimen, your immune system will remain strong and your neutrophil count will always be within ideal values.
We talked about what will happen in case of low and high levels by answering questions such as what is neutrophil, a type of white blood cell, one of the most important members of our immune system, and what does it do? What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should go to the nearest health institution and get the most accurate and specific information about neutrophils from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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