Overview Show White blood cells are an important part of your body’s immune system. They’re responsible for protecting your body against infections and invading organisms. You have five types of white blood cells:
Each of these can be affected in different ways if you have a particular condition or disease. A white blood cell (WBC) count measures the number of white blood cells in your blood, and a WBC differential determines the percentage of each type of white blood cell present in your blood. A differential can also detect immature white blood cells and abnormalities, both of which are signs of potential issues. A WBC count can also be called a leukocyte count, and a WBC differential can also be called a leukocyte differential count. Read more: WBC (white blood cell) count » Your doctor may request a WBC count and differential if they suspect you have one of several conditions, including:
Both tests can help your doctor determine if your symptoms are due to high or low WBC levels, which will help them understand what condition you may have. WBC counts can also be used to monitor certain disease processes and illnesses. No special preparation is necessary for a WBC count or differential. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medications, including over-the-counter supplements or vitamins, for several days before the sample collection occurs. Medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, can affect white blood cell counts. To conduct a WBC count and differential, your doctor will need to collect a blood sample from you. Blood is typically drawn from a vein in either the bend of your arm or in your hand. Once the blood is collected, it’s sent to a lab for analysis. WBC count and differential tests have very few risks. Apart from bruising or soreness at the puncture site, this test shouldn’t cause any problems or complications. Some people may feel moderate pain and a stinging sensation during the blood draw, and some people may feel sick or lightheaded during or after the blood draw. If you do, let your doctor or nurse know and remain seated until the feeling has passed. Although rare, some people who have blood drawn can develop a hematoma — an accumulation of blood directly under the skin. Some people may also develop an infection in the skin at the collection site, but this is also extremely rare. Depending on which tests your doctor ordered, you may have to wait several days for results. A single WBC count or differential test doesn’t tell the whole story of what’s going on in your body. However, both tests are important tools that help your doctor find out what might be causing your symptoms. Differential results may indicate certain conditions, which are discussed below. An increase in neutrophils in your blood may be caused by:
A decrease in neutrophils in your blood may be caused by:
An increase in lymphocytes in your blood may be caused by:
A decrease in lymphocytes may be caused by:
An increase in monocytes may be caused by:
A decrease in monocytes may be caused by:
An increase in eosinophils may be caused by:
A decrease in basophils may be caused by acute allergic reaction. Your doctor will go over the test results with you and, if need be, come up with a treatment plan suited specifically for you. You may need to have more tests performed to confirm a diagnosis, and you may need to get another WBC count and differential in the near future. DescriptionDifferential blood count can be performed by the following 2 methods:
The automated differential blood count is less time-consuming and less expensive than routine examination of blood smear. With the automated technique, thousands of white blood cells can be examined, whereas typically 100-200 white blood cells are examined by visual examination. [6] Indications/ApplicationsDifferential blood count is primarily needed in the 2 following reasons. [2]
ConsiderationsAccuracy, precision, and clinical sensitivity The automated differential blood count provides a high level of accuracy and precision (correct and consistent results) for quantification and identification of normal white blood cells; however, this method is not sensitive at identifying abnormal or immature cells and is not able to accurately identifying and classifying all types of white blood cells. To overcome this problem, most automated analyzers will flag samples with possible abnormal white blood cell populations, indicating the need for peripheral smear examination to be examined by trained personnels to identify abnormal cells. [6, 2] Monocyte count and basophil count are the most difficult population to count and have a low level of precision and accuracy. Moreover, automated analyzers tend to underestimate the basophil count during true basophilia. [2] False negative Both automated and manual methods may not detect small numbers of abnormal cells. The false negative rate for detection of abnormal cells varies from 1-20%, depending on the instrument and the detection limit desired (1-5% abnormal cells). The most difficult for both automated instruments and visual examination by human is identification of lymphoma cells and reactive lymphocytes. [5] Band neutrophils and immature granulocytes (IGs) The value of reporting band neutrophils is questionable. The measurement of the immature cells of the myeloid lineages, specifically “band,” has been considered clinically useful in the diagnosis of infections, especially neonatal sepsis. [7] However, band neutrophils cannot be enumerated by automated analyzers and are reported together with segmented neutrophils as absolute neutrophil counts (ANC), which are used to defined neutropenia or neutrophilia. Identification of band neutrophils by visual examination (manual differential blood count) is neither precise nor consistent, as a high variability of morphologic classification or quantification of band neutrophils exists due to interobserver variability. Some, therefore, advocated ceasing quantitative reporting of band neutrophils. [5, 2] The extended differential count includes reporting immature granulocytes (IG) can be used alternatively to help diagnosis neonatal sepsis. [2] For further reading, see Interpretation. What is being counted in a differential WBC count?A white blood cell (WBC) count measures the number of white blood cells in your blood, and a WBC differential determines the percentage of each type of white blood cell present in your blood. A differential can also detect immature white blood cells and abnormalities, both of which are signs of potential issues.
What is being counted in a differential white blood cell count quizlet?A differential white blood count provides the percentage of each type of white cell and can also detect immature white blood cells and abnormalities, both of which signs of potential issues.
What is white blood cell differential?A WBC differential categorizes the numbers of each of the different types of WBCs in sample of your blood. There are five main types of white blood cells, each with different functions. The differential shows if: The different types of WBCs are present in normal proportion to one another.
Why are differential white blood cell counts performed?A WBC differential may be used to help diagnose the cause of a high or low white blood cell (WBC) count results seen on a CBC. It may also be used to help diagnose and/or monitor other diseases and conditions that affect one or more different types of WBCs.
|
What is being counted in a differential white blood cell count?
Copyright © 2024 ShotOnMac Inc.
