A general blood test in children allows you to determine the condition of the body and diagnose the child's diseases. In this article, we will talk about such an indicator in blood analysis, as the level of neutrophil content, their types and what they indicate.
Neutrophils in the blood of a child
Neutrophils are one of the forms of leukocytes in a person's blood. They protect the body from fungal and bacterial infections. Neutrophils are the first cells that are met by pathogenic agents that have managed to penetrate the child's body. In addition, they absorb dead cells and old blood cells, thereby accelerating the healing of wounds.
Particularly effective cells affect the first stages of inflammation. If their number begins to decline, the process can go to a chronic stage.
Types of neutrophils
Neutrophils are divided into mature and immature. In mature neutrophils, the nucleus is divided into segments, while in immature neutrophils it is a curved integral rod. Normally, the number of segmented neutrophils in children varies between 16 and 70% and depends on the age of the child.
The number of stab neutrophils is about 3 - 12% in newborns and sharply decreases from the second week of the child's life, dropping to 1 - 5%.
The child has elevated levels of neutrophils
The number of neutrophils exceeding the norm in the blood of the child indicates the course of acute inflammatory processes, the death of tissues or the presence of a malignant tumor. The more the number of neutrophils in the blood exceeds the norm, the more the inflammatory process proceeds.
To diseases accompanied by an increase in the ratio of neutrophils in the blood, include:
- infectious processes (gangrene, abscesses);
- infectious diseases (tonsillitis, bronchitis);
- inflammation of the internal organs (appendicitis);
- cancerous tumors;
- diabetes;
- inoculation and administration of immunostimulating drugs.
A slight increase in neutrophils can occur after severe physical exertion or with strong emotional experiences.
The child has a lowered level of neutrophils
A significant decrease in the number of neutrophils in the blood indicates a sharp decrease in immunity in the child. They either begin to be produced in less quantity, or are intensively destroyed, or their distribution is not carried out correctly by the body. This condition is evidence of a prolonged serious illness and concomitant depletion of the child's immunity. These diseases include rubella, chickenpox, measles, hepatitis of infectious origin, as well as fungal infections. Such results may occur during the administration of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The lowered level of neutrophils in the blood can be a hereditary condition.
Neutrophil shear indices
Another indicator of neutrophils is a shift toward increasing / decreasing mature or immature cells.
Raising the level of segmented neutrophils in a child is a characteristic process for scarce anemia, kidney and liver disease, and radiation sickness.
The decrease in the number of segmented neutrophils in a child is associated with the production of a large number of cells with a rod-shaped nucleus. They are usually found in the bone marrow and in a normal state are present in the blood in a very small amount. In the presence of severe inflammatory processes or malignant tumor in the child, the content of stab neutrophils in the blood increases, since they are more sensitive to them, in contrast to segment-nucleated ones.