White Blood Cell (WBC) Count, Total

For a brief introduction and guide to abbreviations, see Laboratory Tests: General Remarks.

Analyte [material]

White blood cell (WBC) count, total

Reference range, target level, or decision threshold

4000-10,000/microL (4-10 Giga/L)

Interpretation of results

When analyzing total WBC count, consider changes in WBC subtypes:

↑ Increased WBC subtype count (see Neutrophils or Lymphocytes) or presence of abnormal cells (immature neutrophils [left shift], leukemic cells, lymphoma cells)

↓ Decreased counts of the largest WBC subtypes: neutrophils (see Neutrophils) or lymphocytes (see Lymphocytes)