Mature neutrophils are known as "segmented"
Neutrophils are part of the white blood cell set. These are immune cells that act against infections , protecting the body especially from bacteria.
Overview
The production of neutrophils takes place in the bone marrow . Once the release of these cells into the bloodstream is completed, they are destined for the sector of the body where their intervention is necessary.
It is important to mention that neutrophils are the white blood cells (also called leukocytes ) with the greatest presence in people's blood. In fact, 70% of an individual's white blood cells can be neutrophils.
Functions and types
Among the actions carried out by neutrophils is the secretion of enzymes that allow the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms. Neutrophils can even phagocytose the microbes that are causing the infection.
If the body needs a very high number of neutrophils in the face of a bacterial infection, numerous immature neutrophils are generated, which are called cavities . These neutrophils, which are also called band neutrophils, remain in the bone marrow as a reserve .
On the other hand, there are segmented neutrophils, that is, mature ones, which are the most abundant in the blood. Its function is to move to the tissues to fight against the action of germs.
Particular characteristics
The nucleus of neutrophils has chromatin segmented into different lobes, although this segmentation does not appear in lobes. The cytoplasm , on the other hand, has many lytic enzymes.
It should be noted that neutrophils cannot be stained with basic or acidic dyes: their name derives from this property. Under a microscope these leukocytes appear with a pale pinkish hue.
Normal and abnormal values
Age is the determining factor of the number of neutrophils that should be found in the blood. Note that these two values are not directly proportional; For example: understood as quantity per microliter of blood, babies have between 4,000 and 14,000 , 10-year-old children have between 1,400 and 6,000 , and adults have between 1,500 and 7,000 .
If the count gives a value that exceeds the normal maximum, it is called neutrophilia , and it usually occurs in cases of:
* infections : in particular, caused by bacteria, although they can also be caused by parasites and viruses, such as pneumonia or appendicitis;
* non-infectious chronic inflammations : rheumatic fever or arthritis, among others;
* emotional and physical origin : excessive exercise, stress, smoking, blows or pregnancy;
* drugs : usually corticosteroids;
* blood cancer : chronic granulocytic (or myelogenous) leukemia, which causes an increase in white blood cells in the marrow.
Both low and high values are worrying
When a laboratory test shows a low neutrophil count, the patient suffers from neutropenia . This disorder usually occurs due to one of the following causes:
* infections : among the most common are childhood viriasis (chickenpox, rubella, measles), viral hepatitis and bacterial infections (tuberculosis, brucellosis);
* congenital diseases : Kostmann syndrome, cyclic neutropenia, Schwachman Diamond syndrome, chronic benign neutropenia, Chediak Higashi syndrome;
* chemotherapy : chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide;
* blood problems : aplastic anemia.
Determining factors
The number of neutrophils in the blood can be affected by different factors, as we have seen so far. Regarding medications , in addition to the already mentioned corticosteroids, we must add antipsychotics and lithium , all with the same consequence: an increase in normal values.
Regarding the decrease, we have talked about chemotherapy, but clozapine, methimazole, rituximab and procainamide can also cause it. Of course, these medications are not indicated arbitrarily, but rather have very specific functions : we are talking about antipsychotics, antibiotics, antithyroids and antiarrhythmics, products that often save the patient's life. For this reason, the solution is not as simple as eliminating them from treatment.