What are neutrophils in a blood test? Of all the several types of white blood cells, neutrophils are the most prevalent that combat infections. If your absolute neutrophil count is above or below a healthy range, it can be used to determine whether your body has adequate neutrophils.
To learn in detail about what are neutrophils in a blood test, their functions, and their normal ranges, keep scrolling!
Table of Contents
What are Neutrophils in a Blood Test? An Overview
Neutrophils are one of the types of white blood cells. They make up 55 to 70% of your white blood cells and are the most prevalent type.
White blood cells come in three varieties: granulocytes, lymphocytes, and monocytes. A subset of granulocytes that also includes eosinophils and basophils is known as neutrophils.
The bone marrow in your body produces neutrophils. The life span of neutrophils is only a day or fewer. Therefore, your bone marrow continuously produces new ones.
What Do Neutrophils Do?
Your immune system is composed of cells, tissues, and organs. White blood cells patrol your lymphatic and blood systems as part of this intricate system.
Antigens, or substances your body perceives as foreign, activate your immune system when you are ill or have a slight injury. Some examples of antigens include bacteria, viruses, fungi, poisons, and cancer cells.
When white cells complete their maturation in bone marrow, your immune system sends them to move through your circulation system and tissues to prepare for intruders that cause illness, infection, and disease.
Of these cells, neutrophils are one of the first cells to arrive at the infection site. They aid in the prevention of infections by obstructing, digesting, or repelling invasive particles and germs. They continually look for indicators of illness and act rapidly to contain and eliminate infections.
In addition, doctors at Hameed Latif Hospital also say that they interact with other cells through communication to aid in cell repair and immune response mounting. They are also crucial to controlling your body’s immunological response and inflammation.
Now, that you have seen an overview of what are neutrophils in a blood test, let’s move next to how you can check their count through blood test neutrophils.
Blood Test Neutrophils to Check their Count
The following tests are done to check their count in blood:
Complete Blood Count (CBC):
A complete blood count test looks at the cells in a blood sample that represents the number of cells in your body. A CBC blood test helps with medical problem diagnosis and can be used as a standard to assess your general health.
Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC)
Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) as a part of blood test neutrophils can offer your doctor crucial health-related information. Typically, an ANC is requested as part of a differential complete blood count (CBC).
What is the Difference Between CBC, Differential CBC, and ANC?
Your blood’s CBC reveals how many of each type of blood cell is present. How many of each type of white blood cell is present in your blood is indicated by the differential. On the other hand, ANC determines the number of neutrophils in your blood.
Why Take a Neutrophil Blood Test?
The over-or underproduction of neutrophils, which are in charge of preventing infection, can indicate the existence of an infection. Thus, a rise or fall in neutrophil counts may signify invasive infection.
Your Physician Might Mandate a Blood Test for Neutrophils:
- To monitor your condition if you have a disease or are undergoing chemotherapy
- To screen for a variety of disorders
- To help identify a problem
Also learn in detail about all necessary medical tests for men.
What to Expect from the ANC Blood Test?
A tiny amount of blood will be collected for the ANC test, typically from an arm vein. This will take place at a lab or at your doctor’s office. Your doctor will be informed of the results when the blood is examined in a laboratory.
NOTE: Your blood test results may be impacted by specific situations. Tell your doctor right away if you’re expecting or if you’ve experienced any of the following:
- Chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- A recent infection
- Recent surgery
- Anxiety
- Corticosteroid therapy
Understanding the Results
It’s crucial to have your doctor explain the results of your tests. From lab to lab, results can differ significantly. Additionally, they vary according to your age, gender, and ethnic background and what equipment was utilized for the test
The reference ranges for white cells and neutrophils are provided in the table below and are approximate and expressed in microliters (mcL).
| Test | Normal cell count (Adults) | Adult normal range (differential) |
| White blood cells (WBC) | 4,300-10,000 white blood cells/mcL | 1% of total blood volume |
| Neutrophils (ANC) | 1,500-8,000 neutrophils/mcL | 45-75% of total WBCs |
What if CBC Shows an Aberrant Neutrophil Count?
Additional evaluation is performed if your CBC doesn’t show normal ranges for neutrophils. For that, your doctor will first conduct a history and physical exam, keeping in mind any probable causes of high levels.
The following procedure is frequently a peripheral smear (differential), which can check for any other obvious abnormalities in the blood cells, including the neutrophils (such as the presence of immature neutrophils not ordinarily found in the blood called blasts).
Depending on the potential reasons for an anomaly, additional testing can involve:
- Bone marrow biopsy to assess the cells in the bone marrow where they originated
- Examinations to look for infections
- Blood tests, including basic thyroid profile and vitamin B12 test
How do Changes in Neutrophils Affect Health?
Neutrophil fluctuations can indicate an infection. Changes in the neutrophils’ blood count may give rise to two conditions:
- Neutropenia, often known as a low neutrophil count, can result from a number of infections. You are more prone to infection, making you feel sick if your neutrophil counts are already low.
- On the other hand, neutrophilia is an increase of neutrophils typically brought on by a bacterial infection. Additionally, neutrophils increase when there is a sign of acute inflammation.
Blood test neutrophil ranges for neutropenia and neutrophilia are mentioned in the following table:
| Test | Low levels (neutropenia) | High levels (neutrophilia) |
| Neutrophils (ANC) | Mild: 1,000-1,500 neutrophils/mcLModerate: 500-1,000 neutrophils/mcLSevere: <500 neutrophils/mcL | >8,000 neutrophils/mcL |
To get more detail about what are neutrophils in a blood test, and what their abnormal values show, you can consult with the best general physicians in Pakistan. You can make an appointment via Healthwire.
Causes of High Neutrophil Levels
A high level of neutrophils in the blood may cause one of the following conditions:
1- Infection
Prof. Dr. Quratul Ain Tahira, who is one of the top general physicians in Pakistan says that the most typical reason for a high neutrophil count is infection. Although not all bacterial infections do so, the majority of them do raise neutrophil counts. On the other hand, viral infection rarely causes neutrophilia except in the early stages of illness. Additionally, several parasitic and fungal illnesses might result in neutrophilia.
2- Inflammation
Your neutrophil count can rise as a result of any illness that creates inflammation in your body. These include gout, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, and tissue injury caused by surgery, trauma, or burns.
3- Some other causes
Some other causes of high neutrophil levels are:
- Smoking
- Stress and anxiety
- Use of steroids
- Heart attack
- Medications such as lithium, heparin, antiepileptic drugs, etc
Causes of Low Neutrophil Levels
Neutropenia can increase your risk of contracting an infection since neutrophils are immune system cells that help your body fight infections. Neutropenia can be brought on by a wide range of medical problems as well as some drugs. These are:
1- Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Neutropenia can be brought on by bone marrow-related cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma. Also, neutropenia is a common side effect of cancer treatment because chemotherapy and radiation stop your body from manufacturing neutrophils.
Get to know about the best foods for cancer patients on chemotherapy to overcome its side effects.
2- Infections
Here are some infections that can also lead to low neutrophils blood count:
- Measles
- HIV
- AIDS
- Chickenpox
3- Medications
Neutropenia has also been connected to many medicines. Once you stop using these medications, neutropenia goes away. Some examples are
- Antibiotics such as penicillin and vancomycin
- Medicine for treating overactive thyroid, for example, methimazole
- Antiviral medicines (ganciclovir and valganciclovir)
4- Bone Marrow Disorders
Diseases affecting your bone marrow, for example, myelofibrosis, aplastic anemia, etc, can also cause neutropenia.
What are Common Treatments for Neutrophil Conditions?
Treatment is done by your doctor based on the low or high neutrophil levels. However, some common treatments include
- Antibiotic use
- Bone marrow transplantation
- Changing the drug causing neutropenia or neutrophilia
- The use of corticosteroids in case of autoimmune diseases
- Addressing underlying health issues that have an impact on your neutrophil level
- Receiving a transfusion of white blood cells.
5 Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you recently have had an infection, and your doctor asks for CBC with differential or an ANC screen, you might find it helpful to ask the following questions:
- What is the purpose of ordering this test?
- What tips should I follow in the duration of waiting for results?
- Is there anything that I should follow before the test?
- Who will be going to explain the results?
- What if the results are not normal? What will be the next steps?
