William Aird
William Aird

@WilliamAird4

4 Tweets 3 reads Sep 10, 2024
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OBESITY AND LEUKOCYTOSIS
1) Obesity is associated with an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count, primarily neutrophils (but also lymphocytes).
2) The WBC count is usually elevated within the normal range, but can exceed the upper limit of normal, leading to leukocytosis.
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3) Obesity-associated leukocytosis is believed to be caused by cytokines that are released from adipose tissue and lead to demargination of circulating neutrophils, and increased production and release of neutrophils from the bone marrow.
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4) There are some studies showing that this trend can be reversed with bariatric surgery, providing evidence for a cause-effect relationship between obesity and WBC count.
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5) It seems reasonable to ascribe a (slightly) elevated count to obesity in an otherwise healthy patient without conducting an extensive work up.
For more information, see:
thebloodproject.com

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