Causes
These include the following:
- Holding your urine. If you do not urinate frequently, this can cause the bladder to stretch and weaken so that white blood cells leak into the urine. ...
- Obstruction of the urinary tract. ...
- Pregnancy. ...
- Sexual intercourse. ...
- Excessive amount of exercise. ...
- Blood disorders. ...
- Cancers. ...
Symptoms
The most common cause of a high WBC count is a viral or bacterial infection, but fungal and parasitic infections can also lead to an elevated count. The rise in WBC is due to the immune system's normal response. It triggers your bone marrow to release the stored extra white blood cells, letting them enter the blood and fight the disease.
Complications
minocycline (Minocin) mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) penicillin. Click to see full answer. Consequently, what medications affect WBC? Drugs that may increase WBC counts include: Beta adrenergic agonists (for example, albuterol) Corticosteroids. Epinephrine. Granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Heparin. Lithium.
What are the reasons for increased WBC?
In case of increased count of WBCs, usually, an increase in one type of white blood cells is noticed. Slightly elevated white blood cell count usually indicates an infection, a problem in the immune system or bone marrow, or it can be a side-effect of a drug.
What can cause an elevated WBC count?
What medications cause elevated WBC?
What does a slightly elevated WBC mean?
See more
What is considered a high WBC for CLL?
At the time of diagnosis, patients can have very, very high white blood cell counts. Typically a healthy person has a white blood cell count of about 4,000-11,000. Patients with acute or even chronic leukemia may come in with a white blood cell count up into the 100,000-400,000 range.
What labs are abnormal with CLL?
People with CLL have too many lymphocytes. (This may be called lymphocytosis.) Having more than 10,000 lymphocytes/mm³ (per cubic millimeter) of blood strongly suggests CLL, but other tests are needed to know for sure. You might also have low levels of red blood cells and platelets.
What are signs that CLL is progressing?
If you start having symptoms of CLL progression, such as unexplained weight loss, fever, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes, and significant fatigue, schedule an appointment with your oncologist or hematologist right away.
How does CLL show up in blood work?
The main test used to help diagnose CLL is a type of blood test called a full blood count. This is where the number and appearance of the different blood cells in a sample of your blood are checked in a laboratory. An abnormally high number of unusual white blood cells (lymphocytes) can be a sign of CLL.
What is the most common presenting symptom in patients with CLL?
Enlarged lymph nodes are the most common presenting symptom, seen in 87% of patients symptomatic at time of diagnosis. A predisposition to repeated infections such as pneumonia, herpes simplex labialis, and herpes zoster may be noted. Early satiety and/or abdominal discomfort may be related to an enlarged spleen.
What does CLL look like on CBC?
In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (chronic lymphoid leukemia, CLL), the complete blood count (CBC) with differential shows absolute lymphocytosis, with more than 5000 B-lymphocytes/µL. Lymphocytosis must persist for longer than 3 months. Clonality must be confirmed by flow cytometry.
How do you know if CLL is getting worse?
An abnormal blood test would show that your lymphocytes increased by more than 50% in 2 months or doubled in less than 6 months. Shortness of breath and tiredness are signs of low red blood cells, also called anemia. Unusual bruising and bleeding are signs of low platelets, called thrombocytopenia.
What should be avoided in CLL?
This inflammation may play a role in the development of CLL. One study shows that a diet high in processed foods like sweets, fast food, refined grains, processed meats, and sweetened drinks raises your odds of getting CLL.
Can you live 50 years with CLL?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can rarely be cured. Still, most people live with the disease for many years. Some people with CLL can live for years without treatment, but over time, most will need to be treated.
How long can you have CLL and not know it?
In CLL, the leukemia cells grow out of control and crowd out normal blood cells. These cells often build up slowly over time. Many people don't have any symptoms for at least a few years. In time, the cells can spread to other parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen.
How high are lymphocytes with CLL?
To be diagnosed with CLL, there must be at least 5,000 monoclonal lymphocytes (per mm3) in the blood. For it to be called SLL, the patient must have enlarged lymph nodes or an enlarged spleen with fewer than 5 ,000 lymphocytes (per mm3) in the blood.
At what point does CLL require treatment?
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (chronic lymphoid leukemia, CLL) do not require drug therapy until they become symptomatic or display evidence of rapid progression of disease, as characterized by the following: Weight loss of more than 10% over 6 months.
What labs are elevated with leukemia?
Complete blood count (CBC): This blood test lets your healthcare provider know if you have abnormal levels of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. If you have leukemia, you'll likely have higher than normal counts of white blood cells.
What lab values are affected by leukemia?
If you have leukemia, your blood cells count will likely show higher than usual levels of white blood cells, which include leukemic cells. You may also have lower than usual red blood cell and platelet cell counts.
What are the biomarkers for CLL?
Lymphocyte doubling time (LDT), serum beta2-microglobulin (s-β2M), serum thymidine kinase (s-TK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) are the most common conventional serum markers in CLL and predict poor outcomes. LDT has been used as a prognostic parameter for more than 30 years.
What labs would be abnormal with lymphoma?
Lymphoma sometimes shows in the blood as an abnormally high white blood cell count. Platelets, which are cells that clot the blood. Lymphoma in the bone marrow may result in a low platelet count.
What age group is most likely to have chronic lymphocytic leukemia?
This disease occurs most often in older adults. On average, people diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia are in their 70s. Your race. Whites are more likely to develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia than are people of other races. Family history of blood and bone marrow cancers.
What happens to the DNA of a cell that causes chronic lymphocytic leukemia?
Doctors aren't certain what starts the process that causes chronic lymphocytic leukemia. What's known is that something happens to cause changes (mutations) in the DNA of blood-producing cells. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do. The changes tell the blood cells to produce abnormal, ineffective lymphocytes.
What is the most common type of leukemia in older adults?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia most commonly affects older adults. There are treatments to help control the disease.
What are the symptoms of lymphocytic leukemia?
Many people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have no symptoms at first. Signs and symptoms might develop as the cancer progresses. They might include: 1 Enlarged, but painless, lymph nodes 2 Fatigue 3 Fever 4 Pain in the upper left portion of the abdomen, which may be caused by an enlarged spleen 5 Night sweats 6 Weight loss 7 Frequent infections
What is the term for a cancer of the bone marrow?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. The term "chronic" in chronic lymphocytic leukemia comes from the fact that it typically progresses more slowly than other types of leukemia. The term "lymphocytic" in chronic lymphocytic leukemia comes ...
What is the name of the cancer that is more aggressive?
A small number of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may develop a more aggressive form of cancer called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Doctors sometimes refer to this as Richter's syndrome. Increased risk of other cancers.
What chemicals are used in the Vietnam War?
Exposure to chemicals. Certain herbicides and insecticides, including Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War, have been linked to an increased risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
What is the WBC of a CLL patient?
Nine months after diagnosis, a fellow patient with CLL tells you that his WBC (white blood cell count) is 49,000 with an ALC (absolute lymphocyte count) of 42,000. He has clusters of 2 x 1 cm nodes in both axillae (armpits). Labs are otherwise OK. He feels well, just a bit tired and stressed. He asks what symptoms or lab results might indicate it is time to treat. You tell him:
Why do we say "watch and wait"?
The reason behind this recommendation that we avoid treatment until we have significant symptoms ( See article on symptoms) and instead are told to “Watch And Wait” or as many of us say “Watch and Worry” as that there is no evidence that any early therapies are helpful . In fact this famous study published in 1998 compared “Watch And Wait” to early intervention with chlorambucil, an oral chemotherapy and at that time the standard of care, and found that the group on chlorambucil fared slightly worse.
What are the take away points at the beginning of the article?
The take away points at the beginning of the article lists what the experts mostly agree are valid reasons to start treatment. Understand that these guidelines were put together by putting many CLL experts in a room and locking the door until they agreed on a set of rules. They have never been studied in clinical trials. They just make sense.
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What is the name of the disease where the body attacks its own platelets?
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA where the body attacks its own red cells) and/or Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP where the body attacks its own platelets) that is poorly responsive to steroids or other standard therapy.
How long can you sweat without infection?
Fevers >38°C for at least 2 weeks without evidence of infection. Drenching night sweats for more than a month without evidence of infection.
Who said "We have a lot of new very exciting treatments coming down the pike"?
Dr. Kipps says and I agree: “We have a lot of new very exciting treatments coming down the pike, but I think it’s a fair statement that if I were a CLL patient, I’d much rather be treated tomorrow with even better understanding about how to use these new agents than being treated today.”
What Is CLL?
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a cancer that affects a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. When you have it, some blood stem cells in your body don't grow properly and the resulting lymphocytes can't fight infection very well.
How CLL Spreads
This type of leukemia starts in bone marrow -- the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made. From there, it moves into your blood. Over time, the cancer cells can spread to other parts of your body like the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.
How Serious Is It?
The Rai staging system is usually what doctors in the U.S. use. It describes CLL based on the results of blood tests and a physical exam when you're diagnosed. Everyone with CLL will have more lymphocytes in their bone marrow and blood than there should be, for no good reason. And a large number of them will have come from the same cell.
Stage 0
The number of red blood cells and platelets are almost normal. Your lymph nodes, spleen, and liver are fine. You're at low risk and probably don't need treatment now.
Stage I
This stage is intermediate risk. The difference is that your lymph nodes are enlarged. These are part of your immune system. They help fight infections as well as filtering out dead and damaged cells, and they swell when they're working hard.
Stage II
Your spleen or liver is larger than normal. Your lymph nodes might be swollen, too, but not necessarily. This is also an intermediate risk stage, and you'll start treatment if your doctor thinks your symptoms or lymphocyte count are serious.
Stage III
The number of other blood cells are affected. At stage III, you don't have enough red blood cells (a condition called anemia), although your platelet count is near normal. Your lymph nodes, spleen, or liver might be enlarged, but they don't have to be. This is an advanced, high-risk stage, and you'll need treatment.
What is hypercalcemia in CLL?
A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is described in whom hypercalcemia occurred in association with elevation of the peripheral lymphocyte count and expansion of total tumor mass. Hypercalcemia was ameliorated with the institution of chemotherapy for the leukemic process and subsequent fall in WBC count and decrease in total tumor burden; hypercalcemia recurred with relapse of the leukemic process. The serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentration, when measured, was inappropriately elevated for the degree of hypercalcemia. The hypercalcemia would appear to be a direct consequence of the leukemia, and possibly involved secretion of a parathyroid hormone-like polypeptide by the CLL cells. Although a possible role for either an osteoclast-activating substance or prostaglandins was not excluded, they would not account for the elevated serum iPTH levels observed.
What is CLL in medical terms?
A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( CLL) is described in whom hypercalcemia occurred in association with elevation of the peripheral lymphocyte count and expansion of total tumor mass. Hypercalcemia was ameliorated with the institution of chemotherapy for the leukemic process and subsequent …