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Elevated WBC & Autoimmune Disease

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that around 23.5 million adults in the United States are afflicted with an autoimmune disease. It's a mystery why these diseases occur. Nevertheless, some insight exists on how the body responds.

  1. White Blood Cells

    • White blood cells (WBC), also known as leukocytes, defend the body against infections. When a foreign body or organism invades the body, leukocytes attack by digesting the foreign body or learning to recognize the invader to prevent future infections, according to the Nemours Foundation.

    Identification

    • Normally, the body contains between 4,500 and 10,000 WBC per microliter of blood, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Levels above 10,500 WBC qualify as elevated.

    Significance

    • Elevated white blood cells may occur due to infections, bone marrow diseases or immune system disorders, according to MayoClinic.com

    Autoimmune Disease

    • Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's immune system malfunctions and mistakes its own healthy tissues as foreign bodies, according to The Merck Manual of Medical Information. This malfunction may result in tissue damage and abnormal organ function, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

    Types

    • More than 80 types of autoimmune diseases exist, the U.S. National Library of Medicine reported in May 2009. Examples of these diseases include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, graves' disease and type 1 diabetes.

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