Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionFunctionCausesTreatments
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition
Function
Causes
Treatments
Granulocytesare white blood cells that play an important role in the function of your immune system. If you have high levels of granulocytes (granulocytosis), it can be a sign of a problem.
Granulocytes are typically checked as part of acomplete blood count(CBC) blood test. High immature granulocyte levels can be a sign of a problem with your bone marrow, infections, allergic reactions, or inflammation from an underlying health condition. However, high immature granulocyte levels can also be normal during pregnancy and in newborns.
This article explains granulocytes, the different types of immune cells, and what it means if your immature granulocytes are high.
KATERYNA KON / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images
What Are Granulocytes?
Granulocytes are specialized white blood cells that are produced in the bone marrow.The white blood cells included areneutrophils,basophils, andeosinophils.
Blood Cell Lineage
What Are the Functions of Granulocytes?
Granulocytes are white blood cells that play a very important role in managing the immune system. They are the first cells to respond to an infection and help the body with mediating allergies.
Each granulocyte has a specialized function within the body:
What Causes High Granulocyte Levels?
Granulocyte levels are checked with blood and laboratory tests your provider can order, like acomplete blood count(CBC). Granulocyte levels are often high when the immune system is activated.
A high granulocyte level (granulocytosis) can be a sign of different problems in your body such as:
High granulocytes can happen if the immune system is fighting off an infection that is:
Since granulocytes are involved in allergic reactions, they can be higher if the body is having an allergic reaction to:
The bone marrow is where granulocytes are made. If there is cancer in the bone marrow, granulocyte levels can be higher than normal.Other medical conditions that can cause high granulocytes include:
Treatments for High Granulocytes
There are treatments for high granulocytes, but choosing the right treatment will depend on what’s causing the abnormal levels.For example:
In some cases, temporarily high levels of granulocytes are normal and do not need treatment. For example,pregnant peoplemay have higher than typical levels of white blood cells because of the stress on the body from pregnancy.Newborns and young children can also have higher levels of these special blood cells.
Summary
A high level of granulocytes in the blood (granulocytosis) can be a sign that your body is fighting off an infection or having an allergic reaction. High granulocytes can also be a sign of a chronic medical condition or cancer of the blood cells.
If you have high granulocytes on a blood test, your provider will need to figure out the cause before recommending treatment. For example, if you have a bacterial infection, you may need to take antibiotics. In some cases, having high granulocytes is normal and you may not need specific treatment—for example, if you’re pregnant.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Granulocytes.Abdel-Azim H, Sun W, Wu L.Strategies to generate functionally normal neutrophils to reduce infection and infection-related mortality in cancer chemotherapy.Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2019;204:107403. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107403Karasuyama H, Obata K, Wada T, Tsujimura Y, Mukai K.Newly appreciated roles for basophils in allergy and protective immunity: Newly recognized roles of basophils.Allergy. 2011;66(9):1133-1141. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02613.xKita H.Eosinophils: multifaceted biological properties and roles in health and disease: Immunobiology of eosinophils.Immunological Reviews. 2011;242(1):161-177. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01026.xArber DA, Orazi A, Hasserjian R, et al.The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia.Blood. 2016;127(20):2391-2405. doi:10.1182/blood-2016-03-643544Tefferi A.Primary myelofibrosis: 2021 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management.Am J Hematol. 2021;96(1):145-162. doi:10.1002/ajh.26050Tefferi A, Rumi E, Finazzi G, et al.Survival and prognosis among 1545 patients with contemporary polycythemia vera: an international study.Leukemia. 2013;27(9):1874-1881. doi:10.1038/leu.2013.163Bert S, Ward EJ, Nadkarni S.Neutrophils in pregnancy: New insights into innate and adaptive immune regulation.Immunology. 2021;164(4):665-676. doi:10.1111/imm.13392Riley LK, Rupert J.Evaluation of patients with leukocytosis.American Family Physician. 2015;92(11):1004-1011.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.MedlinePlus.Granulocytes.Abdel-Azim H, Sun W, Wu L.Strategies to generate functionally normal neutrophils to reduce infection and infection-related mortality in cancer chemotherapy.Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2019;204:107403. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107403Karasuyama H, Obata K, Wada T, Tsujimura Y, Mukai K.Newly appreciated roles for basophils in allergy and protective immunity: Newly recognized roles of basophils.Allergy. 2011;66(9):1133-1141. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02613.xKita H.Eosinophils: multifaceted biological properties and roles in health and disease: Immunobiology of eosinophils.Immunological Reviews. 2011;242(1):161-177. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01026.xArber DA, Orazi A, Hasserjian R, et al.The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia.Blood. 2016;127(20):2391-2405. doi:10.1182/blood-2016-03-643544Tefferi A.Primary myelofibrosis: 2021 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management.Am J Hematol. 2021;96(1):145-162. doi:10.1002/ajh.26050Tefferi A, Rumi E, Finazzi G, et al.Survival and prognosis among 1545 patients with contemporary polycythemia vera: an international study.Leukemia. 2013;27(9):1874-1881. doi:10.1038/leu.2013.163Bert S, Ward EJ, Nadkarni S.Neutrophils in pregnancy: New insights into innate and adaptive immune regulation.Immunology. 2021;164(4):665-676. doi:10.1111/imm.13392Riley LK, Rupert J.Evaluation of patients with leukocytosis.American Family Physician. 2015;92(11):1004-1011.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
MedlinePlus.Granulocytes.Abdel-Azim H, Sun W, Wu L.Strategies to generate functionally normal neutrophils to reduce infection and infection-related mortality in cancer chemotherapy.Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2019;204:107403. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107403Karasuyama H, Obata K, Wada T, Tsujimura Y, Mukai K.Newly appreciated roles for basophils in allergy and protective immunity: Newly recognized roles of basophils.Allergy. 2011;66(9):1133-1141. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02613.xKita H.Eosinophils: multifaceted biological properties and roles in health and disease: Immunobiology of eosinophils.Immunological Reviews. 2011;242(1):161-177. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01026.xArber DA, Orazi A, Hasserjian R, et al.The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia.Blood. 2016;127(20):2391-2405. doi:10.1182/blood-2016-03-643544Tefferi A.Primary myelofibrosis: 2021 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management.Am J Hematol. 2021;96(1):145-162. doi:10.1002/ajh.26050Tefferi A, Rumi E, Finazzi G, et al.Survival and prognosis among 1545 patients with contemporary polycythemia vera: an international study.Leukemia. 2013;27(9):1874-1881. doi:10.1038/leu.2013.163Bert S, Ward EJ, Nadkarni S.Neutrophils in pregnancy: New insights into innate and adaptive immune regulation.Immunology. 2021;164(4):665-676. doi:10.1111/imm.13392Riley LK, Rupert J.Evaluation of patients with leukocytosis.American Family Physician. 2015;92(11):1004-1011.
MedlinePlus.Granulocytes.
Abdel-Azim H, Sun W, Wu L.Strategies to generate functionally normal neutrophils to reduce infection and infection-related mortality in cancer chemotherapy.Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2019;204:107403. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107403
Karasuyama H, Obata K, Wada T, Tsujimura Y, Mukai K.Newly appreciated roles for basophils in allergy and protective immunity: Newly recognized roles of basophils.Allergy. 2011;66(9):1133-1141. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2011.02613.x
Kita H.Eosinophils: multifaceted biological properties and roles in health and disease: Immunobiology of eosinophils.Immunological Reviews. 2011;242(1):161-177. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2011.01026.x
Arber DA, Orazi A, Hasserjian R, et al.The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia.Blood. 2016;127(20):2391-2405. doi:10.1182/blood-2016-03-643544
Tefferi A.Primary myelofibrosis: 2021 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification and management.Am J Hematol. 2021;96(1):145-162. doi:10.1002/ajh.26050
Tefferi A, Rumi E, Finazzi G, et al.Survival and prognosis among 1545 patients with contemporary polycythemia vera: an international study.Leukemia. 2013;27(9):1874-1881. doi:10.1038/leu.2013.163
Bert S, Ward EJ, Nadkarni S.Neutrophils in pregnancy: New insights into innate and adaptive immune regulation.Immunology. 2021;164(4):665-676. doi:10.1111/imm.13392
Riley LK, Rupert J.Evaluation of patients with leukocytosis.American Family Physician. 2015;92(11):1004-1011.
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