Increased wbc

[Whitehair51]

I have ET and had lab tests yesterday. My platelets are at 584000 and my wbcs are up to 9500. I take hydroxyurea once a day, have been for 2 years. This is the highest my wbcs have been, slowly creeping up. Is this a progression to something?

[hunter5582]

It would appear that your WBCs are approaching the top of the reference range but are still within the range of what would be considered normal. WBCs can increase for a number of reasons as a normal part of your body's immune response. It is helpful to look at the component types of WBCs to interpret what these numbers mean.

Suggest that you review your CBCs with your MPN care Team for an individualized explanation of what the numbers mean in your case. meanwhile, you may find this instructional video helpful in reading your CBCs.

youtube.com/watch?v=Xj_yE1p...(Not working as expected?)

[bruddery in reply to hunter5582]

Hi there Hunter. Just wanted to thank you very much for the most informative clip on the understanding of the cbc readings. I will definitely keep this flagged for future reference.

Hope you have a good Christmas/holiday season. Best wishes. Janice

[Innessant]

I have had PV for 10 years now. Just aspirin and phelebotomies. Recently in June 2022 my WBC's crept up to 21,000.Other counts not so high. I went onto Hydoxyurea (one per day) and slowly the WBC count is coming down. This week around 11,000. I feel great. I would not get obsessed with the counts. It may be that you need to up the HU slightly. I am sticking with mine. the drug gets a lot of maligning here on this site. (I guess happy people dont complain...). To me it is the longest, proven solution.Dont panic...