This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Leukocytosis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Leucocytosis is an increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood. It is a common feature of inflammatory reactions, particularly those caused by bacteria. The type of leucocyte increasing in number is dependent on the stimulus type and chronicity; subtypes include:

  • neutrophilia
  • basophilia
  • eosinophilia
  • lymphocytosis
  • monocytosis

The level of leukocytosis is an insensitive guide to the severity of established infection. Typical values are:

  • abscesses: 11-20 * 10^9 per litre
  • peritonitis: >20 * 10^9 per litre
  • septicaemia: up to 100 * 10^9 per litre - a leukaemoid reaction - or conversely, very low levels

Leukocytosis should be contrasted with leukopenia.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page