Last, but certainly not least, are the WHITE BLOOD CELLS!
While there is only one kind of Red Blood Cell, and only one kind of Platelet,
there are MANY different kids of White Blood Cells. All of the White
Blood Cells have the same job to do:
Normal White Blood Cell Count:
5,000-10,000
This is the TOTAL WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT (WBC)
Causes of low white blood cells can include: laboratory error, viral infections (Bacterial infections usually raise the white blood cell numbers ), certain diseases of the blood, and the effects of cancer chemotherapy.
If a count is only a little low the physician,nurse practitioner, or physicians assistant will often repeat the test in a few weeks.
The WBC includes all of the different kinds of White Blood Cells.
It is also important to know your
DIFFERENTIAL
DIFFERENTIAL means that the laboratory counts each of the different
kinds of White Blood Cells and tells us how many there are of
each kind.
These are some of the many different kinds of White Blood Cells
you have in your body.
Neutrophil, Band Neutrophil, Monocyte, Lymphocyte, Basophil
Nute, Benny, Monty, Lenny & Bob
Meet NUTE & BENNY, the neutrophil brothers. Neutrophils
are the MOST IMPORTANT kind of White Blood Cell you have. They
may be called many other names depending upon how your local laboratory
refers to them.
Although his friends call him "Nute,"
other people call him Mature Neutrophil
Nute & Benny
"Benny" is also a nickname for
Band Neutrophil.
Other names for NUTE & BENNY (Neutrophils):
I like the names Nute and Benny better, don't
you??