Lymphocyte Count

[Emmastace]

Is there any connection between a high Lymphocyte Count and Hashimoto's ? Reading my test result record my LC was normal until 2016 but in the 7 tests they have done since then it has been consistently marked as abnormal. The range has been 1.0 - 3.0 and my results go between 3.46 and 4.2. I was diagnosed with Hashi's in December 2020 and the lowest abnormal reading of 3.46 was actually in April 2021 so after I started Levothyroxine and it hasn't been done since then.

[radd]

Emmastace,

Yes, it is usual to have elevated lymphocytes in Hashimotos and especially during an attack.

It is these WBC's that infiltrate the thyoid gland mistaking it for a foreign body/bacteria/invader. The damage causes a release of thyroid peroxidase &/or thyroglobulin into the blood stream and as this doesn't belong outside of the thyroid gland the body then makes antibodies TPOAb & TBGAb to mop it up.

[Emmastace in reply to radd]

Thank you. I find this fascinating. Checking back, my lymphocytes were normal right up until I had my heart attacks and stents were put in and have been abnormal ever since. Maybe that is when the Hashi's started too. The odc told me it looked like I had had it for a number of years before diagnosis.

[tattybogle in reply to radd]

I though that was the case , i remember finding frequent mention of association between high lymphocyte /autoimmune disease when i was looking for any thyroid associations of my below range lymphocytes.

I must just be weird then ... at diagnosis i had:

TPOab of 2499 [0 -50] and 2 months later they were >3000 .. So you'd assume my thyroid had recently had 'a good kicking'

but at the same time i had low lymphocytes of 1.2 [1.5-4] and they were still low for at least the next 5 yrs (between 1 and 1.4)

Many yrs later , my TPOab were much lower at 195, but my lymphocytes were at the top end of normal 2.9 [1-3]

They were obviously never low enough for anyone to be concerned about a problem, but i've always been surprised that they were low with such high antibodies.

[Emmastace in reply to tattybogle]

Hi Tattybogle. GP has never mentioned abnormal lymphocytes to me and I knew nothing about it until I had online access to test results. (It's brilliant and goes back to a adenoidectomy in 1965!) I was just going through everything out of interest and came across the results for lymphocytes and noticed the time frame so asked the question on here. I doubt there is any point in discussing with GP.