White blood cells

[James_B]

Hi everybody!

What is the white blood cell signature for ME?

I have one of the family(don't remember which one) at 1.0 but they should be from 1.5 +

I wonder if ME does this? I am not so eager to get a spike into the hip bone for testing this.

Just wondering.

Take care!

 

[wastwater]

I'm not sure what the ME norm is but when I had a virus recently my white cells went low is that normal?

 

[Mary]

Hi everybody!

What is the white blood cell signature for ME?

I have one of the family(don't remember which one) at 1.0 but they should be from 1.5 +

I wonder if ME does this? I am not so eager to get a spike into the hip bone for testing this.

Just wondering.

Take care!

I don't know if there is a white blood cell signature for ME; however, I believe it's very common for people with ME to have a low white blood cell count. Mine has been low for probably 20 years. The doctors never seem concerned and just shrug. Although of course my immune system is defective, I have hard time fighting viruses, etc.

I recently found this article, which lists various causes of neutropenia, and one of them is deficiency of B12, folate or copper - sound familiar?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265373.php

I'm not sure what you mean by having a spike in your hip bone; a simple blood test will give you your WBC count.

 

[Tammy]

I'm not sure what the ME norm is but when I had a virus recently my white cells went low is that normal?

With virus your white cells can be high or low.

 

[Little Bluestem]

When I got the infection that started all of this, I went back to the clinic (twice) to tell them that I was not recovering well. They told me (twice) that I could not still be sick because my temperature and WBC were low. Not normal, mind you, but low.

 

[MikeV]

I'm not sure what you mean by having a spike in your hip bone; a simple blood test will give you your WBC count.

I know one way to obtain a bone marrow biopsy to test for leukemia is to go in at the hip bone.

I just found out my white cell count and ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS are low.

 

[James_B]

I know one way to obtain a bone marrow biopsy to test for leukemia is to go in at the hip bone.

I just found out my white cell count and ABSOLUTE NEUTROPHILS are low.

Ok, was it painful? they say bones get harder by age.

 

[MikeV]

I have not had the leukemia biopsy procedure done.
You get your white blood cell count from a simple blood draw.

 

[halcyon]

What is the white blood cell signature for ME?

For the routine CBC panel, there isn't one. Sometimes mild eosinophilia (7-10%).

The CD4:CD8 ratio may be abnormally high in the acute phase, then becoming abormally low in the chronic phase.

I have one of the family(don't remember which one) at 1.0 but they should be from 1.5 +

Lymphocytes perhaps? You can get a lymphocyte subset panel which can show which specific types are low. As alluded to above, in acute patients it's the CD8+ lymphocytes that are low, but in the chronic patients it's the CD4+ that drops, causing the ratio changes.

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

I wonder if ME does this? I am not so eager to get a spike into the hip bone for testing this.

A bone marrow test is only done when the diagnosis isn't clear. For example, it's possible to diagnose leukemia from a regular blood sample. A bone marrow test is hard on the patient and will only be done when other test results are inconclusive and the clinical picture leads to suspicion of something serious (possibly life-threatening) going on, such as leukemia or lymphoma. I doubt that ME alone would be considered life-threatening. Life-altering, yes, but not life-threatening.
http://patient.info/health/bone-marrow-biopsy-and-aspiration

• Find the reason for a low number of red blood cells (anaemia), a low number of white blood cells (leukopenia), or a low number of platelets (thrombocytopenia) in the blood. Also, to find the reason for a high number of these types of blood cells. A number of conditions can cause these blood abnormalities, such as:
  • Various types of leukaemia.
  • Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
  • Myeloma.
• Monitor the response of treatment for leukaemia.
• Determine how far certain lymphomas or cancers have progressed.

Here's Dr. Myhill's take on hematology in ME/CFS:
http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/haematology_-_interpretation

• Low or low normal white cell count – can be a sign of poor immune function which most commonly is secondary to nutritional deficiencies, such as low zinc, low magnesium, low B vitamins, low essential fatty acids.
• High neutrophil count points to bacterial infection, or stress response.
• High lymphocyte count points to viral infection. Atypical lymphocytes often seen in glandular fever.
• High eosinophils or basophils can point to allergy or a parasitic infection
• High monocytes is inflammation or stress. Often high in glandular fever or "mono" as it is known in the USA

 

[mtnbibliophile]

This question would be strange anywhere other than a CFS/ME forum, but I'm concerned that after having had high WBC counts for years, my last one was normal. The high WBC counts seemed appropriate as an indication that my immune system was trying to fight the underlying infections linked to CFS/ME that I have (CMV, HHV- VI, EBV, and Chlamydia Pneumoniae). Now I'm taking a drug for my leukemia that has reduced my WBC. It seems to me that that means my immune system is not combating the underlying infections as strongly, which would account for my greatly increased fatigue and other CFS/ME symptoms. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[James_B]

I will not say one hundred % but I believe it is this state that is about to enter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agranulocytosis

Could it be because of Gabapentin? There is nowhere specifically that tells they lowering of white blood cells? found a link that tells the opposite. Present usage from 200 to 600 mg / day.

http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/gabapentin/white blood cell count increased/

Mtn-bible: You and me should swap some cells and both get in balance