A 3 year old boy is brought to the pediatrician and after a battery of tests is diagnosed as having acute lymphocytic leukemia. The parents can't understand why the pediatrician explains that infections are a concern for the little boy if his WBC are so high. How would you explain this to his parents?
Normally WBCs fight against infections. But in acute lymphocytic leukemia, the bone marrow produces excess amount of lymphocytes, exactly saying lymphoblasts. They are not mature cells and they are not maturing correctly . They are not mature enough to fight against infections. So even if the number of lymphocytes or WBCs are high.It is not effective to fight against infections.
Here, by the excessive production of lymphoblasts.The normal composition of blood is being altered.It also become ineffective to fight against infections.
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