low white cell count

[moss]

my gp rang and said my white cell count is low. i ve been having a rough time and my steriod s have been up and down over past 6-9 months. what could this mean. i ve never had a firm diagnosis of sle but rather consultant has also treated me for it for past 10 years

[keep-on-going]

Hi, I have always had very low white blood count. 20 years. Told I had neutropenea. Last time I saw new Rhumy he told me I had lupus overlap and low white blood count is part of it.

Just need to keep an eye on it especially if you have an infection. They should kick in to help fight it . I usually have to have antibiotics if I get sore throat .

Take care

[Alexandria]

You say that your consultant has been treating you for your white cell problem for 10 years (what type of consultant is it - a Rheumatologist or chronic pain specialist?). You should be able to take a blood test to establish if you have SLE - as this been done ? . I have been diagnosed with SLE for 12 years and for as long as I can remember I have had problems with low white cell count. It sometimes interferes with my medication as I have to stop it to allow the count to increase. This is a common problem with SLE.

[tintin49]

why wont they give you a proper diagnosis? i just dont understand doctors who dont..it smacks of unproffessionalism something that i find occuring a lot since i have been diagnosed.

[moss]

no it s only recently my white cell count has dropped. i believe it has always been on lower side of normal but at the mow it s much lower. i am under the rheumy -i will see him thursady

[cloggy73]

I too have always suffered from neutropenia and low complements - it was part of my sle diagnosis. Do have to be careful with infections as the others say. I hope you get a diagnosis soon. Low white count is pretty common in lupus so should point to it if you have all the other clinical symptoms too. Good luck. M