Not Medical Advice: White blood cells (leukocytes) defend the body against infection. White blood cells circulate in the blood and respond as needed to invading germs. The number of white blood cells in healthy blood varies considerably but normally, the body makes about 100 billion of these cells every day. When the body is fighting these infections, it will increase the number of white blood cells. This increase may overcome the infection.
Disorders involving white blood cells generally increase or decrease the number of those cells in the blood or cause them to function improperly. These changes result in a variety of conditions. An inadequate number of white blood cells leaves the body open to infection.
Surprisingly, too many white blood cells can also lead to an increasing number of infections, because the increased level of white blood cells usually represents abnormal cells that crowd out healthy cells. The most well-known disorder characterized by too many white blood cells is leukemia.
Although your white blood cells account for only about 1 percent of your blood, their impact is significant. Learn more about white blood cells from links below:
Urmc.Rochester.edu
Labtestsonline.org
Iuhealth.org
TIP: Health.Harvard.edu shares tips on how to boost your immune system.