Title: Higher White Blood Cell Count May Boost Death Risk
Headings: Higher White Blood Cell Count May Boost Death Risk
Higher White Blood Cell Count May Boost Death Risk
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Content: And, "the increased risk of mortality associated with high white blood cell (counts) was maintained over 40 years of follow-up," she added. But the researchers stressed that they have not yet confirmed a cause-and-effect link between higher white blood cell counts and illness risk. It remains unclear whether an elevated count helps trigger serious disease, or whether these cell counts rise naturally after illness. And one expert said it's too early to make any changes to practice based on the findings. "The findings are interesting and help to bolster that inflammation status is involved in the biology of many chronic diseases, but the findings do not suggest specific screening or treatment would be advisable," said Dr. Mary Cushman, director of the thrombosis and hemostasis program at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care in Colchester, Vt. The findings are published in the May 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Generated by the bone marrow and spread throughout the body, white blood cells (WBC) -- also called leukocytes -- are the immune's system key weapon against infectious disease. In the absence of disease, they normally make up just one percent of a person's blood. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, a simple blood test can easily determine whether a patient's WBC count falls within the normal range of 4,500 to 10,000 cells per microliter of blood. While a below-normal WBC count may indicate bone marrow failure and/or liver and spleen disease, illness or invasion by a foreign body typically provokes a rise in white blood cells.