The basis for the diagnosis of many diseases is a blood test. It has many different indicators: it is the blood content of hemoglobin, erythrocytes, platelets and leukocytes, and the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation, and the leukocyte formula. Competently decipher the analysis, taking into account all the nuances, can only a qualified specialist, because in themselves these indicators have little to say and only in a complex blood test can give a complete picture of the patient's health status.
One of the important indicators is the content in the blood of lymphocytes - white blood cells. This kind of leukocytes is responsible for the recognition of foreign bodies in the human body and the formation of a specific immune response to this stimulus. This means that lymphocytes are an essential part of the immune system: they fight against foreign "agents" at the cellular level, sacrificing themselves for the sake of saving the body, and are also responsible for producing antibodies. Lymphocytes are produced both by the bone marrow and by lymph nodes.
The norm of lymphocytes in the blood of a child
In adults and children, the norm of lymphocytes is significantly different. If in adults the percentage of lymphocytes to the total weight of leukocytes is approximately 34-38%, the younger the child, the greater the proportion of white blood cells: 31% a year, 4 years 50%, 6 years - 42% and in 10 years - 38%.
The exception from this trend is the first week of the child's life, when the number of lymphocytes is 22-25%. Then, usually on day 4 after birth, it increases significantly and gradually begins to decrease with age, very slowly. Like any norm, the content of lymphocytes in the blood is a relative term. It can fluctuate in one direction or another, depending on the possible diseases and inflammatory processes occurring in the child's body. The number of lymphocytes is directly related to the work of the immune system: with the active development of antibodies, their number increases rapidly (this is called lymphocytosis), in other situations it can significantly decrease (lymphopenia).
Compliance or inconsistency with the norms of lymphocyte content is determined by the analysis of blood with a developed leukocyte formula.
Increased levels of lymphocytes in children
If the analysis showed an increase in the level of lymphocytes in the blood in a child, this may indicate a variety of different diseases, among which the most common are the following:
- "Childhood" infectious diseases: pertussis, measles, chicken pox, mumps;
- more serious and dangerous infections: typhus, toxoplasmosis, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis;
- period of recovery of the child after acute infectious disease;
- diseases of the endocrine system.
If a relatively large number of atypical lymphocytes is seen in the blood of the child, this fact most likely indicates the development of infectious mononucleosis, an acute viral disease that is often found in children. At the same time, due to lymphocytosis, the total number of leukocytes in the blood increases, and the atypical lymphocytes themselves, changing, become very similar to monocytes.
And if the lymphocytes in a child are lowered?
Lymphopenia often occurs due to abnormalities in the production of lymphocytes by the body (for example, in hereditary diseases of the immune system). Otherwise, the decrease in the number of lymphocytes is a consequence of infectious diseases accompanied by inflammation. In this case, there is an outflow of lymphocytes from the blood vessels to diseased organs and tissues. The most vivid examples of such diseases are AIDS, tuberculosis, various purulent-inflammatory processes.
In addition, the decrease in lymphocytes is typical for patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy, taking corticosteroid treatment with Ishchenko-Cushing syndrome. Reduction of white blood cells is possible even in case of severe stress.