What Causes White Blood Cells to be High?

White blood cells is one blood component that serves an important role in the body. These cells help in fighting and resisting diseases thus aiding in boosting the immune system of an individual. White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, they play a big role in helping a lot in fighting all the infections in the body through process of phagocytosis. The cells through this process surrounds the infectious organisms and destroys them.

In addition to fighting against the infections, white blood cells also transports and distributes antibodies, which helps in building the immune system of the body. Production of these cells is always doubles within a few hours, the cells produce a colony-stimulating factor immediately an infection enters the body. This leads to bone marrow getting stimulated to be able to produce white blood cells faster.

However, high white blood cells can indicate that there is something amiss in the body. When white blood cells count is very high, above 10,000 cells in every microliter, then it indicates that there is a problem. In most cases, high white blood cells indicates an infection. Nevertheless, there may be other factors or causes that may lead to white blood cells count becoming high.

Another cause of high white blood cells is the use of some medicines that we take into our bodies. Some medicines stimulate the body to produce more white blood cells to be able to fight against a certain infection. Some of the medications that makes the white blood cells to increase in number include antibiotics and corticosteroids among others.

Besides indicating a possibility of an infection in the body, trauma may be a cause of having high white blood cells. When one is exposed to trauma or conditions that increases fear in the human, the white blood cells count may be high.

Tissue damage, which may be from burns, is another factor that may lead to increased white blood cells count. These tissue damage leads to the bone marrow getting stimulated to produce many white blood cells.

High white blood cells may be as a result of intense body exercise that may lead to over production of the cells. Stress, either physical or emotional, may be another cause of high white blood cells count.

Among other causes of high white blood cells include having an allergy in the body, having a chronic leukemia or bone marrow disease. In addition, diseases that are diverticular.

Other causes of high blood cells though, they are considered normal may be in the last month of a pregnancy and labor period when one is at the point of giving birth. It is also a possibility of having high white blood cells in a person who smokes.

Age is also a cause of high white blood cells. The number of these cells in newborns and the infants is high compared to the number of the white blood cells in adults. In the morning, the white blood cells in the body may also be higher than in the evening.

It is highly recommended to always seek the help of a physician or a doctor in case one experiences some of the above causes of high white blood cells.