Abnormal Complete Blood Counts

[Alliand]

Hi to All,

Does prednisone cause neutrophil blood counts to become abnormally high?How does one know if high white counts are the caused by prednisone, or the disease is the cause, or, if another condition could be at play? I have never been at more than 16mg per day, and now at 8mg and my white counts are very high, and my iron is on the low side and red count beginning to show slight abnormalities.

Anyone have an idea? My rhematologist has referred me to hematology because she doesn't know.

[AndrewT]

Dear Alliand,

You have hit the nail, on the head....How can you tell. Your best 'bet' is to ask your Doctors/Consultants, they may have some 'Bass Line' figures. These are results from Before your medication, was started, otherwise, depending on your exact Condition, they may be able to differentiate 'things'. What I have just said my not appear, at first glance, to make much sense Alliand but there could, very well, be some Results somewhere- surly it's worth asking anyway?

Leaving you, quite probably, a tad confused/bewildered but with my Very Best Wishes.

Hope you feel better soon.

AndrewT

[Alliand in reply to AndrewT]

Hello Andrew,

I have results from 2 pre-prednisone blood tests; the first was 100% normal. I recall feeling well then on 9/1/16.

But severe upper body pain suddenly appeared in the next week or so because I went to a rheumatologist on 9/21/16., I also had a growth on my right knuckle area which was biopsied and turned out to be a granuloma annulare.

On that first visit to the rheumatologist, many blood tests were done. I see that my total white count was very slightly elevated to 11.before prednisone(10.8 being top normal) whereas the first was at 8.9.

My ferritin (iron) was low which was not included in routine testing. And most telling I was positive for a the PR3 antibody at low titre, not done in routine testing. All other auto-immune testing such as ANA , rheumatoid factor were normal. SED Rate and CRP normal. Potassium also low and primary care prescribed potassium supplementation.

Therafter, the WBC has been consistently high; at last visit earlier this month, rheumatology referred me to hematology..I asked if the high white count was from the medication or from the disease. Her response was that was a question for a hematologist.

Now I imagine many patients in that practice are on prednisone and also regularly get their blood tested. I would have thought based on experience, she could say that this is a typical thing, or that this is unusual .

Most of the white count is dominated by neutrophils. I will see a hematologist anyway on 4/30.

Thanks so much for your reply.