Question
Could an increase in white blood cells mean leukemia? Our child has been experiencing this for some time, and as parents, we are very concerned. We hope to receive some advice from a doctor.
Answer
An increase in white blood cells is generally due to inflammation. If the count is above 30,000 and the morphology is abnormal, it could be leukemia, mainly depending on the morphology. An increase in red blood cells is most commonly relative, such as in lung diseases. However, an abnormally high count can be a malignant condition: true polycythemia. It sounds complex, and a conclusion requires combining many aspects of examination. White blood cell counts that are significantly high are often due to inflammation, and leukemia is also known as blood cancer, which is a cellular abnormality.