Conditions That Cause Lymphocytosis
Lymphocytosis is a term used to describe a condition in which an individual has a higher than normal amount of lymphocytes in their blood. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that fight off pathogens and reside in the lymphatic system. They do this by differentiating into memory cells to recognize pathogens the body has seen before and by differentiating into plasma cells that make antibodies to fight the pathogen off. While a high lymphocyte count is relatively normal following a recent infection, it is not normal for it to stay elevated. When the lymphocyte count exceeds three thousand lymphocytes in a microliter of blood, it is lymphocytosis. No symptoms present with lymphocytosis itself, but the symptoms of the underlying cause may be apparent. A complete blood count with differential can help a physician determine if an individual is affected lymphocytosis. A bone marrow biopsy may also be utilized to help identify the underlying cause of an individual's lymphocytosis.
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Whooping Cough
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract. The hallmark symptoms of whooping cough include a severe hacking cough trailed by a 'whoop' sound upon inhalation. A bacteria called Bordetella pertussis causes whooping cough. This bacteria has a specialized and unique ability to impair the function of the affected individual's immune system through its actions on lymphocytes. While the exact mechanism of how whooping cough induces lymphocytosis is not clear, it is known to be associated with the production increase in mIL-4 or interleukin-4 triggered by the pertussis virus. The toxin produced by the pertussis bacteria causes phagocyte cells to make too much cyclic AMP by converting ATP or cellular energy. This malfunction results in a disruption in signaling mechanisms the immune system uses to respond to infection. Because of these signaling disturbances, the bacteria have a selective influence on the ability of lymphocytes to enter the lymph nodes. When lymphocytes cannot enter the lymphatic system, they accumulate in the affected individual's blood causing a lymphocyte count of over four thousand per microliter of blood.
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Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a malignancy that develops in an affected individual's blood and bone marrow with no clear cause and quickly progresses in the absence of treatment. This type of leukemia occurs when a stem cell in the bone marrow that matures into a red blood cell, white blood cell, or platelet, acquires a genetic DNA injury. The DNA injury of the cell causes alteration or mutation in the part that provides the cell with instructions on how to grow, multiply, and die. The mutated DNA results in the development of malignancy. The malignant cell reproduces in an unmanageable fashion, making billions of lymphoblasts that infiltrate and invade the affected individual's bone marrow and bloodstream. Lymphoblasts are abnormal types of lymphocytes that are larger than normal and fail to function, stop the production of healthy cells, grow more rapidly than healthy cells, and effectively outlive healthy cells. The accumulation of these lymphoblasts in the blood of the affected individual can cause them to develop anemia, neutropenia, or thrombocytopenia. Chemotherapy is one of the only ways that these abnormal malignant lymphocytes can be eliminated from the body.
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