White blood cells are an important part of the body's immune system. There are five types of white blood cells, but a deficiency in any of them will be approached in the same manner by a doctor. It is important to seek medical attention if you suspect that your white blood cell count is low, as this is not a condition that can be addressed at home.
Underlying Condition
Primary treatment of low blood cell counts will be to treat the underlying cause. Many times the underlying cause is cancer related, but there are other immune system disorders that also cause low white blood cell counts. Leukemia is a type of cancer which attacks a certain type of white blood cells, but many cancers are treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which also cause white blood cell counts to dip. Myelodysplastic syndrome and aplastic anemia are two auto immune disorders that also cause low white blood cell counts.
Other Measures
When treating the underlying condition fails, or a doctor is trying to get white blood counts high enough for another cycle of chemotherapy, additional measures may be taken. A doctor may choose to stimulate the white blood cell count by administering a white blood cell growth factor, such as granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or a granulocyte transfusion. Doctors may also wish to administer drugs to aide the immune system in fighting infection. These may include anitbiotics, antiviral medications or corticosteroids.
Precautions
Another part of treating a patient with a low white blood cell count is for both the patient and any caregivers to take extra precautions against infection while the immune system is weak. This may be as simple as extra hand-washing, but in more extreme cases it may also include wearing gloves, gowns, and masks and isolating the patient to a private room.
Tags: blood cell, white blood cell, white blood, white blood, blood cell counts, cell counts, immune system