{"id":16269,"date":"2023-08-10T19:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T19:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/what-is-leukocytosis-symptoms-and-cause\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T07:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:15:46","slug":"what-is-leukocytosis-symptoms-and-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/what-is-leukocytosis-symptoms-and-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Leukocytosis? Symptoms and Cause"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider &apos;Leukocytes are white blood cells (WBC) that&nbsp; protect our bodies against infections and illnesses. Leukocytosis is a condition in which the level of leukocytes in the blood increases, which usually happens when we are sick. However, the level of leukocytes in our blood may also increase rapidly due to other factors, like stress.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What are the different types of Leukocytosis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leukocytosis can be categorized into five different types. They are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Lymphocytosis: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this occurs<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when lymphocytes increase rapidly and constitute 20-40% of white blood cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Neutrophilia: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when the number of neutrophils increase rapidly, accounting for 40&ndash;60% of white blood cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Monocytosis: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when monocytes constitute 2-8% of white blood cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Basophilia: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the rarest type of leukocytosis and involves increased levels of basophils, accounting for 0.1-1% of white blood cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\">strong&gt;The different types of leukocytosis are linked to different health issues:<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Neutrophilia:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> infections and inflammation<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Monocytosis:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cancer and other infections<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Basophilia: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leukemia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Lymphocytosis: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">viral infections and Leukemia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Eosinophilia:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allergies and parasites<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What are the symptoms of Leukocytosis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When white blood cells increase rapidly in the body, the blood can become thick and impair proper blood flow. This can result in a condition known as hyperviscosity syndrome, which leads to numerous health issues like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stroke<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breathing issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vision problems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bleeding from mouth, stomach, or intestines<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides these, there could be other symptoms of leukocytosis, depending upon the variety of white blood cells elevated and underlying health conditions. Some common leukocytosis symptoms include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pain<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fever<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Easy bruising<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wheezing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Itching and hives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty breathing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Night sweats<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weight loss<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind that if leukocytosis is the result of stress or caused by an adverse reaction to certain medications, you may not experience any symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What are the common causes of Leukocytosis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The causes of leukocytosis can vary depending on the type of white blood cells elevated.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common causes of neutrophilia include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Infections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some types of Leukemia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical and emotional stress<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having the spleen removed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chronic inflammation caused due to arthritis, injuries, or any inflammatory conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An adverse reaction to certain medications, like lithium, steroids, or some inhalers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common causes of lymphocytosis are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whooping cough, or pertussis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Viral infections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allergic reactions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some types of Leukemia<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common causes of eosinophilia are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parasitic infections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allergic reactions, including asthma and hay fever<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lymphoma, or cancer in the lymphatic system<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some skin diseases<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common causes of monocytosis include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tuberculosis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fungal infections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spleen removal<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autoimmune diseases, like ulcerative colitis and lupus<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Infections caused due to Epstein-Barr virus<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common causes of basophilia include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bone marrow cancer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leukemia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allergic reactions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>How is Leukocytosis diagnosed?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The normal level of WBC in our body ranges between 4500 and 11000 per microliter of blood. Having a WBC count above this level is a clear indication of leukocytosis. If your WBC level ranges between 50,000 and 1,00,000 per microliter, you may have a solid tumor, a severe infection, or you may experience organ rejection. An extremely high WBC count above 100,000 may be due to serious conditions like Leukemia or bone marrow cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leukocytosis is diagnosed using three different tests to detect the number of WBCs. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Blood Test CBC: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the most common test to detect a high WBC count. The test involves using a machine to detect the percentage of all kinds of WBC in your blood sample.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Peripheral Blood Smear: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This test is performed to check the maturity and form of your blood cells, especially in the case of lymphocytosis or neutrophilia. It involves smearing blood on a glass slide in a thin layer and testing it using a microscope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><strong>Bone Marrow Biopsy:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This test is performed to differentiate between Leukemia and other benign tumors. It helps determine the presence of abnormal cells in the bone marrow.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>What are the treatment options for Leukocytosis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: black; text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The course of treatment for Leukocytosis depends on the cause of the issue. The common treatment options include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inhalers for treating asthma<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antihistamines for treating allergic reactions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Radiation, Chemotherapy, and stem cell transplant for treating Leukemia<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antibiotics for treating bacterial infections<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medications for anxiety and stress<\/span><strong>Agilus Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Fortis Healthcare Limited<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consider &apos;Leukocytes are white blood cells (WBC) that\u00a0 protect our bodies against infections and illnesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[621,623,622],"class_list":["post-16269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diseases","tag-leukocytes","tag-leukocytosis-cause","tag-leukocytosis-symptoms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16737,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16269\/revisions\/16737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agilusdiagnostics.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}