Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell, comprising about 50-70% of all white blood cells. They are phagocytic, meaning that they can ingest other cells, though they do not survive the act. Neutrophils are the first immune cells to arrive at a site of infection, through a process known as chemotaxis.
Though neutrophils are short lived, with a half-life of four to ten hours when not activated and immediate death upon ingesting a pathogen, they are plentiful and responsible for the bulk of an immune response. They are the main component of pus and responsible for its whitish color. Neutrophils are present in the bloodstream until signaled to a site of infection by chemical cues in the body. They are fast acting, arriving at the site of infection within an hour.
Before ingesting invasive bacteria, neutrophils can release a net of fibers called a neutrophil extracellular trap (NET), which serves to trap and kill microbes outside of the cell. When neutrophils ingest microbes, they release a number of proteins in primary, secondary, and tertiary granules that help kill the bacteria. They also release superoxide, which becomes converted into hypochlorous acid, which is theorized to play a part in killing microbes as well.
A deficiency of neutrophils is called neutropenia and may be congenital or acquired, for example in certain kinds of anemia and leukemia, or as a side effect of chemotherapy. Since neutrophils are such an important part of the immune response, a lowered neutrophil count results in a compromised immune system.
Neutrophils may also malfunction, causing more harm to the body than they prevent. In alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, for example, inflammation, part of a normal immune response, leads to tissue damage. In Familial Mediterranean fever, the immune response is also so acute and prolonged that it can lead to a number of dangerous complications.
|
anon334980
Post 105 |
My baby is a year old. He has 15,700 t.l.c and 76 neutrophil and a 104 degree fever. please tell me the treatment.
|
|
anon323368
Post 104 |
My son is nine years old and has not recently had any viruses. He had bloodwork and his neutrophil count is 16 percent, with lymphocytes at 40 percent and and Eosinophil 41. What does it mean? |
|
anon289074
Post 101 |
I am 51 years old and have recently suffered from a high viral fever. I gave blood for a test and my neutrophil count is 36 percent and lymphocytes are 56 percent. What does it mean?
|
|
anon279726
Post 100 |
I agree with asking a doctor but I can guarantee that I care about my health and my family's health much more than any doctor I have ever met. Thanks wise geek for getting me up to speed on complex terms so that I am not too intimidated to ask questions because of unfamiliar jargon. I feel the admonishment comment goes further to scare readers into trusting doctors having large case loads and normal problems than it does to encourage doing research. Let's remember the medical community used to endorse lobotomies. |
|
anon276669
Post 99 |
Thank you wiseGEEK for an informative article! To everyone asking about their neutrophil levels or what they should do, I have this advice: 1. If you have questions, ask your doctor. If your doctor won't answer your questions, keep searching until you find one who will. 2. The author of this site is not a doctor; she has a BA in the social sciences. However, that doesn't mean that the information isn't correct (it is). She's very good at research and has written a simple definition, for the layperson, on a complex topic. But no matter how well-researched and written this article is, it's not a substitute for advice from a certified medical specialist. 3. Aside from the author, everyone else is posting anonymously. Even if someone answered your question, why would you ever trust an answer from an anonymous source? 4. If you really want to trawl the internet, in lieu of asking a live medical professional, then at least consult a medical website, not a generalized research site like wiseGEEK. The internet is rife with misinformation and inaccuracy. If you're not a doctor, you shouldn't be diagnosing yourself in the first place, especially based on your interpretation of something you found online, which may or may not be true. Do some due diligence, to the best of your ability, to make sure that the site is a reputable, credible, and trustworthy source for information. Otherwise, you may be doing yourself more harm than good. 5. And then, after all that, ask a doctor! No disrespect to wiseGEEK; you rock! If you can't find out who is responsible for the content on a site, you can't trust it. It's as simple as that.
Moderator's reply: Thank you for your post. Please see our terms and conditions — we provide general information about a wide variety of topics and should not replace professional advice, be it medical, legal, financial or otherwise. We're always glad if an article inspires a reader to do further research, but as you noted, we are a site that provides general information. Thanks for visiting the site and for participating in the discussion! |
|
anon274793
Post 98 |
My son has 1.8 L of Neutrophils and he is 16 years old and the doctor said is very low for his age. What can I do?
|
|
anon265904
Post 97 |
My eight year old son has .8 neutrophils, no immunity and 2.8 wbc. Now what? |
|
anon265725
Post 96 |
1302 neutrophils is very good. It has a good count of blood. You have a good blood, Anon4447. |
|
anon246564
Post 95 |
My daughter's netrophils are 73 percent and she is eight years old. Is this ok? If not, please suggest the way to maintain the balance. |
|
anon238528
Post 94 |
I am 77 years old and my neutrophil count is 68.90 percent. Is it OK, or must I take medicine? |
|
anon237408
Post 93 |
I am a 21 year old unmarried girl. I have 87 neutrophils. What does this indicate.
|
|
anon225417
Post 92 |
I'm 36 and my neutrophils are 90. Normal is 45-75. Suggest to me any precautions. |
|
anon215206
Post 91 |
my neutrophils are 59 percent; lymphocytes 35 percent; eosinophils 04 percent; monocytes 02 perent; basophils 00 percent. What does this mean? |
|
anon213121
Post 90 |
my neutrophils are low and so is my rbc, haematocrit and white cell count level. I am 64 years old and had undergone a bypass and spinal implementation. What remedy is there to take to boost bp and these levels? |
|
anon211472
Post 89 |
Anon182745, post 80, CMA for 5 years and you still don't understand the principles of HIPAA nor even how to spell it. No wonder people are here instead of there. |
|
anon200732
Post 88 |
My neutrophil level is 75. Please give me solutions And I often get some fever. |
|
anon200718
Post 87 |
My neutrophils level is 78.5 percent. Kindly tell me what are the causes, signs, symptoms and management for the same. |
|
anon200224
Post 85 |
My neutrophils level is 81 percent. Kindly tell me what are the causes, signs, symptoms and management for the same? |
|
anon199383
Post 84 |
my son has ALL blood cancer (leukemia). He is 5 years and 2 months old. His neutrophils are 10 percent, Lymphocytes 70 percent, Eosinophils 14 percent and Monocytes are 02 percent. What does it mean. |
|
anon191736
Post 82 |
My father's neutrophils are 82 percent and he is 60 years old. What should it be at this age or is it ok? |
|
anon188079
Post 81 |
my Neutrophils are 82.2 percent. i am 59 years old. what does this indicate? |
|
anon182745
Post 80 |
Reading posts like these makes me wonder why we went through all the legal troubles of creating things like HIPPA whereupon all medical records are not to be shared with anyone without the patient's consent or written approval barring court order. Why on earth are people sharing their medical data online? That's a good question. If you have gotten through your usual 15 or 30 minute visit with your doc and you haven't asked that question, I suggest you pull one of his office aids or nurse aside and get an explanation of your results in plain english. They are good at breaking the medical jargon down to understandable terms and often more approachable. I was a CMA for five doctors in a medical office and quite capable of answering all these questions and so are they. Trust me: keep your information to yourself and seek the nurse out when you need a question answered. This is not the format for it. |
|
anon158736
Post 76 |
normal ranges for neutrophils are (40-72).
|
|
anon158657
Post 75 |
my daughter is six years. her neutrophils level is 58 percent. is it a dangerous level? |
|
anon150679
Post 72 |
my neutrophils level is 63.9 is that bad. can you please explain this situation to me. --maurice |
|
anon139341
Post 70 |
can you tell me about the biochemistry of neutrophils? i need it because I'm a student of medical studies. |
|
anon138119
Post 69 |
I am 17 years old female. my neutrophil level is 78 percent. will it cause any harm? |
|
anon136565
Post 68 |
my neutrophil is 0.08. what is normal? |
|
anon125328
Post 66 |
I'm just wondering if I'm correct or not. If you say high in bands, does that mean also high in neutrophils? Because there are two types of neutrophils, right? segmented and immature neutrophils? Just asking. oh, and do both have the same action? Do they detect and fight infection? they are the ones which first attack the bacteria, right? |
|
anon105901
Post 65 |
I am a 35 year old female. I have been getting a rash of large raised red hives on my skin since I was 18. It happens randomly at different times of the year. It used to only last a day but as I get older the condition is getting worse and it lasts up to a week. At the last break-out I had a biopsy. I was told it is a neutrophilic vascular reaction. The hives always start at my elbows and then over the course of the week it appears over my entire body. Do you know what is causing this and what I can do to treat and/or prevent it? |
|
anon105854
Post 64 |
i am 23 years old and my neutrophils are 93 percent. What should i do? |
|
anon102861
Post 62 |
I'm a 33 year old female, and was recently brought to the ER due to high fever and severe dry cough. I had my blood test taken and everything is within reference except for my Neutrophils which is 0.85 from the reference of 0.55 to 0.65. The doctor's advice was i had a bacterial infection. I was advised to take UNASYN 750MG (antibiotic) and Fluimucil 200mg for the dry cough and Biogesic for the fever. i was ordered to take it for one week. |
|
anon99083
Post 61 |
I am 29 years old and neutrophils are 72. What does it mean? |
|
anon98811
Post 60 |
#41: It kind of sounds like you might have iron deficiency. when your red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit are all low, normally this is the deficiency. try eating some foods with iron in it and you might feel better. red blood cells are pretty much four chains of iron bound to a blood cell so when you are low, the chain is low too! hope this helps! |
|
anon98082
Post 58 |
I am a 42 year old male and have just been told my Neutrophils are at 88 percent. what does this mean? |
|
amitjee
Post 57 |
i am 37 years old my Neutrophil is are 76 Mean corpuscular vol is 97 fl. and mean corpuscular Hb C is 32 pg. What does it mean. is it normal? |
|
anon94540
Post 53 |
Why don't you people ask your doctor these questions? Most of you are in the normal range. |
|
anon92756
Post 52 |
My neutrophils count is 65 percent and my lymphocyte count is 35 percent. What does this mean? Please help me to know this because I am worried. |
|
anon79823
Post 51 |
Why are you asking medical advice from a website? I realise people are all high on independence and their collective hatred of doctor's appointments but really people, see a doctor. You shouldn't be asking the internet medical advice. Because sure, you may get advice back but is it really reliable? Even though this site is quite a good source of knowledge, see a doctor people! |
|
anon79617
Post 50 |
I am a 21year old female who has received blood test results showing that my neutrophils absolute count is low, giving 1.6 instead of 2.0-8.0 along with my corpuscular haemoglobin and volume being higher than average. is there a possibility that i may have cancer? I await your reply. |
|
anon74238
Post 48 |
My eosinophil is zero. it was for my last few blood tests and it says that's low! can anyone explain to me why and how it's like this? my neutrophil was 2679. i don't know much about that. my lymphocytes were 1739. can anyone help me. thanks so much. |
|
anon71270
Post 46 |
i am 42 years old my neutrophils are 76. What does it mean. is it normal?
|
|
anon69354
Post 45 |
my daughter is a year old she has 6 percent neutrophil count. It started when she was 10 months old and bone marrow is normal and other tests are very normal, but sometimes she has had colds. Please reply to my problem and how to increase neutrophil count and treatment for this problem. thank you. |
|
anon67892
Post 44 |
My neutrophils are 75 percent. What does this mean? They say the 40-74 range is acceptable. thanks. bob o. |
|
anon66922
Post 43 |
My son is anemic and has very high Eosinophils well over 3000 (33%), he also has low Neutrophils at 30%. We have an appointment with a Hematologist in 2 weeks. What are we looking at for a diagnosis? |
|
anon60450
Post 42 |
my son had a fever. he's age 7. neutrophils count 70. what do i do? please let me know. |
|
anon57508
Post 41 |
hello for my past two blood tests my eosinophils (abs value) have been zero. my platelet counts have been low on two of the three tests. my red and white cell counts are barely over the normal and the red was below normal. also at one point my hemoglobin and hematocrit were low. i can't get an answer from my physician. can anyone else help me? my first thought is always leukemia and i have been tested for it 19 years ago but they said i didn't have it! the hematologist did say he wanted to see my platelet count higher or we had to talk. can anyone explain that to me? thanks |
|
anon56407
Post 40 |
what is reactive neutrophil leucocytosis? my grandmother's test show that she has it. i want to know. |
|
anon55793
Post 39 |
my neutrophil count is 62 percent which the normal is 40-50 percent; lymohocytes is 30 and eosinophils is 08. I am 57 years old and my result for my FBS is 180. I just received the result today. i am a little bit worried. please advise. -salvatierradory |
|
anon53746
Post 38 |
If you've read the entries online, neutrophils are the good cells, they fight infection. My sister has AML, a kind of leukemia, and after chemo her neutrophils were down to zero. Before she can have her bone marrow transplant, she has to have at least a count of 500 neutrophils. If anyone has prolonged fever, bruises, extreme exhaustion, sores that don't seem to heal, constant infections, especially a fungal type, then get to a doctor ASAP. These can be signs of leukemia, and you need to at least get checked out. This is nice, but no one here can or should diagnose you. Better to go to a doctor and find out what exactly is wrong, and get proper treatment. Health is far too serious an issue to let go. I am praying for my sister every minute because this is a very bad thing. |
|
anon52795
Post 37 |
My daughter is just one year old. She has TLC 20,600/cub.mm,Neutrophil 84 percent and Lymphocyte 14 percent. We are worried. Please let me know what does this mean? |
|
anon52504
Post 34 |
my neutrophil count is .82 i am 14 years old. i have a fever. now what i need to do? |
|
anon51463
Post 33 |
I am 30 weeks pregnant and a blood test reads high for neutrophils - 9.4. Should I be concerned in any way? I feel generally okay given that I am on my fourth pregnancy and aged 44. |
|
anon50971
Post 32 |
Blood test results: Neut% 37.9 and Lymp% 46.6 - I am a 52 year old relatively healthy femaile. What do these abnormal results mean? |
|
anon48175
Post 31 |
My eosinophils count is 9 percent. It's more than normal count. even my neutrophils count is 75 (above normal). I am 32 yrs male. My skin is developing rashes. Kindly advise me about medicines. |
|
anon45847
Post 30 |
my neutrophil count is 75 percent. What does this mean and what is anormal count? I am 25 years old. |
|
anon45530
Post 29 |
My neutrophil count is 72 percent. I am 31 years old my white count is in the normal range. I am getting burning sensation in chest and count is 10700. |
|
anon44802
Post 28 |
my three year old son had a blood test and his neutrophils were 648. what does this mean, and does he need any medication? He is also anemic and his wbc is 3.5. is there any relation? |
|
anon43623
Post 27 |
my baby is 11 months old and she just has 0-1 percent neutrophils. It started we know from when the baby was four months old. How can we increase the percentage and any advice for my problem? Thanks. From Mr. Goh |
|
anon43395
Post 26 |
When it says "post questions/comments" that doesn't mean "diagnose my symptoms". If you read a dictionary entry about hallucinations would you write the author and ask them if you have Schizophrenia? Call your doctor or nurse for medical questions! And if your doctor says your tests are all normal and you don't feel well, consider that it might just be stress. They know how to interpret your blood test results. Stop looking for reasons to be sick. |
|
anon43387
Post 25 |
My neutrophils count is 65.6 percent and my lymphocyte count is 27.1 percent. What does this mean? |
|
anon43046
Post 24 |
My white blood cell count 3.08 my creatinine is 88. is this anything to worry about? i am 58. |
|
anon42999
Post 23 |
My daughter's (2 years old) neutrophil count is 83 and her white blood count is 20.20. what does this all mean? will she have to take any medication? |
|
anon41879
Post 22 |
I am a 34-year-old female. my white cell count is 10800/cumm and neutrophils count is 70 percent and Creatinine 0.7mg/dl. What does it mean?? |
|
anon41723
Post 21 |
my baby is 13 months old she is having 67 percent of neutrophill count. why? |
|
anon40001
Post 20 |
My dad recently died of Neutrophilic Leukemoid reaction following a heart by-pass operation. His bloods taken on admission were as follows: HB.11; WCC.12.8; platelets.169; neutrophils.11.3. Were these blood counts in the normal range to perform such an operation? Please advise me. |
|
anon38407
Post 19 |
My baby is 45 days old. We did her CBC and results showed total White blood count(tlc) 16,100 and her neutrophills shows 81H. is it too high? Does she need to be admitted to the hospital? |
|
anon35831
Post 18 |
my son's neutrophil percent is 32. he is 12 years of age. what does it mean?
|
|
anon32091
Post 16 |
my brother's neutrophil percent is 78. he is of 17 years of age. serum analysis is 991. what does it mean? |
|
anon31878
Post 15 |
my c reactive protein is 29.01, neutrophils 9.9, WBC 13.6 and total cholesterol 203 triglycerides 412 and hdl 28. I have tingling in my thighs and muscle wasting in all of my limbs. any help? the dr.s cant tell me what's wrong. i am a smoker also. |
|
new42
Post 14 |
I have a neutrophils result of 1.7 and a white blood count of 3.3 does this mean I have some type of infection in my body? |
|
amymoose2005
Post 13 |
My advice is to see a homeopathic doctor or a N.D. That is what I have had to do. I found out I am low in B12 and have a vitamin D deficiency. |
|
nuhmudeen
Post 12 |
hi im 27 years old..monthly three time i feel tired, fever, too sleepy....my hemoglobin range is 16.0, rbc5.7, hct49.6, mcv86, mch,28.9, mchc33.7, rdw13.3 and wbc count total count5.3, neutrophilils 72,lymphocytes23,eosinophils1,monocytes4,basophilis 0, platletcount199, mpv7.2fl...i sent all of my blood reports....please send me some diet advice. |
|
anon21857
Post 11 |
My daughter is a 16 year old and her neutrophil is 90%. She feels tired and sleepy most of the time and she suffered fever for 4 days. Whenever she eats anything she feels like vomiting. Please tell me what to do. |
|
amymoose2005
Post 10 |
I have been very fatigued lately, Just not feeling like myself. I went to the doctor and had blood taken. When I got my results they said I was fine. But I see that my Neutrophils is 41, my lymphs are 49 and my absolute Neutrophils are 1.81. Please help, I am not feeling well there has to be a reason. |
|
anon17409
Post 9 |
My neutrophil count jumped from 2.58 to 5.14, what does this indicate? Improved health or that there is an infection somewhere in the body? |
|
msimms1
Post 8 |
Why am I seeing the normal range of neutrophil levels written as both 1.5 to 6.5 and 1500 to 6500? And why would the long term use of corticosteriods cause a rise in a person's neutrophil levels? If cortisone inhibits the neutrophil apoptosis process – how does this happen? |
|
binch
Post 7 |
My wife, age 72, is being treated for myelodysplasia discovered 4 years ago. She has been having monthly transfusions for the past 2 years including platelets. She has been told her neutrophil level is very low. Can neutrophils be transfused or raised by any means? She was also having weekly EPO injections but her doctor has discontinued them any comments on the usefulness of EPO? Any information will be most useful.
|
|
anon15162
Post 6 |
I recently got my test result back from my pregnancy blood test and it says that Neutrophils is 66.4 H. And also, the WBC is 3.5 L, RBC is 3.76 L, Lymphocytes is 23.7 L . Im guessing that there is something wrong with my immune system? Please help. Thanks. Any info helps. |
|
anon14730
Post 5 |
My son's neutrophils' count is 85% and c. reactive protein 70.5 is it dangerous pls tel me what can i do? |
|
anon13555
Post 4 |
anon4447 and anon7003 you are confusing me because neutrophil counts are measured in percentages. anon4447 chances are you meant 13.02% anon7003 chances are you meant 83.08% anon4447 with a low neutrophil count you could have Neutropenia, some of the symptoms are Fever, Mouth ulcers, Diarrhea, Burning sensation when urinating, Unusual redness, pain, or swelling around a wound, Sore throat, Shortness of breath, Shaking, chill. it can also be caused by viral infections. anon7003 your neutrophil count is high but normal. |
|
anon11339
Post 3 |
My daughter's neutrophils' count is .73 and her red blood cells is high at 5.23. what does this mean? |
|
anon7003
Post 2 |
what does this all mean? I am a 43 yr old female and my white blood count was high 12.4 and neutrophils were 8308??? |
|
anon4447
Post 1 |
Ny neutrophil count is 1302 - I am a seventeen year old female - my white count is in normal range. Should I take any supplements? |
