Lymphocytes are one of the types of leukocytes, white blood cells. Lymphocytes are one of the main cells of the immune system, as they are responsible for the production of antibodies and cellular immunity. Normally their content in the blood is from 19 to 38% of the total number of leukocytes. Elevated levels of lymphocytes in the blood are called lymphocytosis.
Types of lymphocytosis
It is accepted to distinguish between lymphocytosis of two types:
- relative;
- absolute.
With absolute lymphocytosis, the total number of lymphocytes in the blood increases with respect to their normal content. Relative lymphocytosis occurs due to changes in the content of other leukocytes in the blood, and then the percentage of these cells is higher with their normal number.
Causes of relative lymphocytosis
In general, relative lymphocytosis in adults is more common. The cause of it can be a number of factors that cause a decrease in the level of other white blood cells:
- viral infections (acute respiratory viral infection, influenza);
- brucellosis ;
- leishmaniasis;
- pyoinflammatory diseases;
- impaired thyroid function;
- rheumatoid diseases.
Causes of absolute lymphocytosis
Absolute lymphocytosis is typical for acute infectious diseases, such as:
- measles;
- scarlet fever;
- whooping cough;
- chickenpox;
- piggy;
- Infectious mononucleosis;
- acute viral hepatitis;
- cytomegalovirus infection and others.
In addition, the cause of lymphocytosis can be:
- tuberculosis;
- some autoimmune diseases;
- hemolytic anemia;
- cancer diseases.
Lymphocytosis has its own developmental peculiarities in leukemia . With this malignant blood disease, white blood cells do not ripen to the end and therefore can not perform their functions. As a result, the content in the blood of such immature cells rises sharply, provoking anemia, bleeding, increased vulnerability of the organism to infections and other symptoms. Increasing the level of leukocytes in the blood three times or more is almost always a symptom of cancer.
Other causes of lymphocytosis in adults
In addition to diseases, a violation of the level of lymphocytes can
- stress or nervous illness;
- starvation and irregular feeding;
- beriberi, especially the lack of vitamin B12;
- exposure to the body of alcohol, nicotine, narcotic substances;
- taking medications that affect blood composition;
- bleeding.
As a rule, such factors provoke in adults a relative lymphocytosis, which often passes on its own, after the disappearance of the cause that caused it.