What Do High White Blood Cell Count Indicate?

Posted on Thu, 6 Oct 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 6 Oct 2016 Answered on

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I went to the doctor a week ago and my white blood cell were high. I feel healthy and in the last 12 year I have not had so much as a cold.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Please see the discussion

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome and thanks for your query.
High WBC count usually occurs in response to a bacterial infection. Sometimes these infections like a urinary tract infection may occur without symptoms. Another condition in which high WBC count occurs is in a Myeloproliferative disease where the bone marrow is over producing cells. Leukemia is one such condition and needs to be excluded if infection is excluded.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar