When the lungs become inflamed, the number of leukocytes increases
Pneumonia is an inflamed irritation of the lung tissue caused by bacteria. Furthermore, fungi and viruses are among the factors that are relevant to the development of the inflammation. Because of the foreign bodies in the blood, the leukocytes are increased in pneumonia.
White blood cells fight antigens
Within the organism, the leukocytes are responsible for fighting foreign substances. This also includes the causative agents of pneumonia. Due to the infection, there are numerous foreign substances in the blood of those affected. These weaken the immune system so that additional pathogens enter the body. The white blood cells fight the bacteria. First and foremost, there is an increase in lymphocytes, a subgroup of leukocytes, for this reason.
If patients suffer from pneumonia, the family doctor takes a blood sample from them to create a complete blood count . On this he can see at first glance whether there is an increase in the number of leukocytes in the blood. From this he can conclude which pathogens trigger the pneumonia. In the case of a bacterial disease, the white blood cells are greatly increased. In contrast, the leukocyte value in the blood in viral pneumonia is within the normal range.
If it is an atypical pneumonia, there is an additional increase in lymphocytes. This subtype of white blood cell has the task of destroying foreign bodies and altered endogenous cells . If this type of leukocyte is increased in pneumonia, doctors fear a particularly aggressive form of the disease.
CRP is an inflammatory marker
If there is a focus of inflammation in the human organism due to pneumonia, markers indicate its strength. One of these markers is the increased number of leukocytes in the blood. The normal value in a healthy person is four to eleven million white blood cells per milliliter of blood. The more leukocytes there are in the body, the more severe the inflammation.
The situation is similar with the inflammatory marker CRP. The abbreviation denotes the C-reactive protein. Here, the normal value for healthy people is less than five milligrams per liter of blood. In the same case, an increase in this concentration indicates an inflammatory infection. Thus, both laboratory values exist as important inflammation parameters.
Preliminary stages of the leukocytes occurring in pneumonia
Especially in the course of the disease, the leukocytes are increased in pneumonia. However, there are already clear signs of disease before the bacterial infection. For example, the doctors determine several precursors of the leukocytes in the blood. If a finding of this kind exists, experts refer to it as a left shift. In this case, there are more immature neutrophilic granulocytes and their precursors in the blood. Other preliminary stages of the leukocytes that occur in pneumonia are:
- The metamyelocyte,
- rod-nucleated granulocytes ,
- Myelocytes,
- The promyelocyte
- and rarely associated myeloblasts.
A differential blood count is suitable for recognizing the preforms of the white blood cells. If one or more forms of leukocytes are increased in pneumonia, it is called leukocytosis .
A bronchoscopy supports the results of the blood count
If the doctors learn from the blood count that the concentration of white blood cells is increased, further measures follow. In this case, the doctor usually performs a bronchoscopy. This is a reflection of the lungs. The patient picks up a tube through the mouth. The doctor pushes it directly into the organ to take samples from the bronchi. In this way, the doctor recognizes pathological changes that trigger pneumonia, for example. Another method to determine an inflammation value is blood sedimentation.
If the inflammation of the lungs, known in technical terms as pneumonia, lasts longer than a week, this enables antibodies to be detected in the blood serum. The doctor carries out this examination if he suspects atypical pathogens as the trigger for the disease. Further measures consist of creating a blood culture and a blood gas analysis.
Summary of the importance of leukocytes in pneumonia
Especially with a bacterial infection, the leukocytes are increased in pneumonia. This means that they are well above the normal upper limit of eleven million pieces per milliliter of blood. Furthermore, in the case of illness, there are different preforms of the white blood cells in the blood. If the lymphocytes also multiply, this is an atypical form of pneumonia
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