Where is wbc destroyed
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Contact Us. There are five types of white blood cells: lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils.
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When your body is in distress and a particular area is under attack, white blood cells rush in to help destroy the harmful substance and prevent illness. White blood cells are made in the bone marrow. They are stored in your blood and lymph tissues. Because some white blood cells called neutrophils have a short life less than a day, your bone marrow is always making them. They have a longer lifespan than many white blood cells and help to break down bacteria.
They create antibodies to fight against bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful invaders. They kill and digest bacteria and fungi. They are the most numerous type of white blood cell and your first line of defense when infection strikes. These small cells seem to sound an alarm when infectious agents invade your blood.
They secrete chemicals such as histamine, a marker of allergic disease, that help control the body's immune response. They attack and kill parasites and cancer cells, and help with allergic responses. Therapy with steroids modifies the leukocytosis response. When corticosteroids are given to healthy persons, the WBC count rises. However, when corticosteroids are given to a person with a severe infection, the infection can spread significantly without producing an expected WBC rise.
An important concept to remember is that, leukocytosis as a sign of infection can be masked in a patient taking corticosteroids. Leukopenia occurs when the WBC falls below 4, Viral infections, overwhelming bacterial infections, and bone marrow disorders can all cause leukopenia.
Patients with severe leukopenia should be protected from anything that interrupts skin integrity, placing them at risk for an infection that they do not have enough white blood cells to fight. For example, leukopenic patients should not have intramuscular injections, rectal temperatures or enemas.