Question:
I have
an elevated white blood count of 13.4.
I am
a heavy smoker and have been under a lot of stress lately.
I have
an underactive thyroid and am on eltroxin, 100 mu per day.
How can
I bring the white count down and does eltroxin show up on a blood
screening?
Lise
Answer:
Dear
Lise,
A count
of more than 10,500 leukocytes in a micro liter of blood is generally
considered a high white blood cell count.
Smoking
is a specific cause of high white blood cell count.
Stress,
such as severe emotional or physical stress is another specific cause
of high white blood cell count.
A WBC
(white blood cells count) of too numerous to count (TNTC) may indicate
several disorders or diseases.
Problems
with the thyroid gland and underactive adrenal glands may cause a
TNTC result as well.
A high
white blood cell count usually indicates:
* An
increased production of white blood cells to fight an infection
* A reaction to a drug that enhances white blood cell production
* A disease of bone marrow, causing abnormally high production of
white blood cells
* An immune system disorder that increases white blood cell production
There
are many different types of blood tests and each one requires a specific
means of collection
Laboratory
testing can assist the maintenance of more accurate blood levels of
therapeutic thyroxine, L-thyroxine, sometimes called levothyroxine
(Eltroxin), but it is unclear whether these measurements contribute
significantly to the patient's health.
