What does few white blood cells in stool mean?
If you or your child’s results show leukocytes in stool, it means there is some kind of inflammation in the digestive tract. The more leukocytes that are found, the higher the chance that you or your child has a bacterial infection. If your provider thinks you have an infection, he or she may order a stool culture.
Is WBC normal in stool?
WBCs are normally not present in the stool, but can appear with inflammatory diarrhea, symptoms of which include numerous small, loose bowel movements; blood and/or mucus in the stool; severe abdominal cramping; and fever.
What are the symptoms of low WBCs?
If you have a low white blood cell count, you may:
- Have repeated fevers and infections.
- Get bladder infections that may make it painful to pass urine, or make you urinate more often.
- Get lung infections that cause coughing and difficulty breathing.
- Get mouth sores.
- Get sinus infections and a stuffy nose.
How many WBCs is normal?
The normal number of WBCs in the blood is 4,500 to 11,000 WBCs per microliter (4.5 to 11.0 × 109/L).
Can inflammatory bowel disease cause low white blood cell count?
Study results suggest that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who develop a low white blood cell count, called leukopenia, after treatment with the immune system-suppressing drug 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) may have a slightly increased risk of developing blood cancers, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
What does it mean when you have rare white blood cells?
Having a higher or lower number of WBCs than normal may indicate an underlying condition. A WBC count can detect hidden infections within your body and alert doctors to undiagnosed medical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, immune deficiencies, and blood disorders.
What can cause WBC in stool?
White blood cells, also called leukocytes, are immune system cells that can show up in the stool if you have inflammatory diarrhea. This type of diarrhea may be a symptom of an infection caused by bacteria such as shigella, Clostridium difficile (C. diff), campylobacter, or salmonella.
Can low WBC be normal?
A white blood cell count that is just slightly below the cutoff for the established normal range may actually still be normal and not require further evaluation. In addition, what would be considered a low white blood cell count for some people may be a normal finding for others.
What is the significance of WBC in stool?
A WBC test or fecal leukocytes stain is ordered to assist in differential diagnosis of diarrheal disease and looks for white blood cells in stool.
What does a positive WBC in stool mean?
The Gram positive and negative bacilli are bacteria in the stool smear and this is normal for stool to have bacteria in it. The WBC is a sign of inflammation and can be due to inflammation of the colon such as colitis.
What does presence of WBC in stool sample indicate?
The presence of white blood cells in stool can be an indicator that there is an inflammation in the digestive tract. Inflammatory bowel disease can be difficult to treat and many doctors recommend trying to identify triggers in your diet and lifestyle.
What causes high white blood cell count in stool?
Elevated white blood cell count is a sign that your body is fighting an infection. More specifically, testing the number of leukocytes in urine and stool can help doctors to see if there are infections associated with our digestive or urinary systems.