Patient Power has an excellent article on Neutrophils, HU won't let me past the entire text here so please go to patientpower.info/what-do-h...?
High Neutrophils & Low Neutrophils: What Do They Mean?
Part of Blood Basics Updated Sep 9, 2024 By: Carina Storrs, PhD; & Lindsay Modglin
Medical Reviewer: Amitkumar Mehta, MD
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To protect your body from illness, infection, or disease, your immune system sends cells through your circulatory system to get ready for potential invaders. These cells include neutrophils.
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An absolute neutrophil count (ANC) means that your doctor is looking at how many neutrophils are in a sample of your blood. The normal range in a healthy adult is between 1,500 and 7,700 neutrophils per microliter of blood, which means any number either below or above these measurements may indicate a neutrophil condition.
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To understand what changes in your neutrophil count might mean for your health, it’s helpful to first understand what neutrophils are.
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What Are Neutrophils?
Neutrophils are one of the immune system’s first line of defense. They rush to the site of an infection or injury in the body to attack invading pathogens and call in more immune cells for backup. They are the most abundant type of white blood cell (WBC) circulating in the blood, and they also help platelets and other cells form blood clots.
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White Blood Cells Neutrophils in White Blood Cells
White blood cells fight infection and disease in the body, so they are a crucial part of your immune system. The five main types of WBCs are:
Neutrophils help destroy bacteria and fungi.
Lymphocytes create immunity against specific pathogens like viruses and parasites.
Monocytes break down bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Eosinophils fight parasites and toxins.
Basophils release histamine to help with allergic reactions.
When your neutrophil count is high or low, it’s essential to know what other components in your blood sample are doing since this helps the doctor determine whether there’s an infection present.
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How Do Neutrophils Work?
Neutrophils are made in the bone marrow from the same type of stem cells that give rise to red blood cells, platelets, and certain WBCs. The bone marrow makes about 100 billion neutrophils a day and holds many of them in reserve. The cells only live a few hours to a couple of days in the blood or tissues.
“You are just cranking these things out and…they are really important sort of antibacterial bleach bombs,” said Alison Moliterno, MD, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. They have a scavenging system that works by releasing reactive chemicals such as bleach to kill bacteria or fungi.
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Testing for Neutrophils
Your doctor may want to measure your neutrophil level to check for inflammation, infection, leukemia, or other conditions. This can be done by taking a blood sample and determining the level of WBCs and the percentage of WBCs that are neutrophils. These two values multiplied together give the absolute neutrophil count (ANC).
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Normal Range
Neutrophils Normal Range
The normal ANC range is between 1,500 and 7,700 neutrophils per microliter of blood. Levels of neutrophils can vary day to day, so tests that find mildly low neutrophil levels (1,000-1,500) or mildly high neutrophil levels should be repeated over several weeks.
"The lower the neutrophil count, the higher the risk of infections," said Milan Sheth, MD, a physician with MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, California, who is quadruple board certified in internal medicine, hematology, oncology, and palliative care. "When counts are less than 500, patients become at increased risk for opportunistic infections."
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