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White Blood Count Tests for Children

A white blood count tests may be ordered by your child's pediatrician as part of a normal pediatric checkup. A white blood count test also may be ordered by the doctor if he is concerned your child is suffering from an infection, disease or allergic reaction.

  1. What It Is

    • A white blood count is a test of your child's blood to evaluate how many white blood cells are present in her complete blood count. White blood cells are the cells that attack and remove bacteria, infection and viruses from the body.

    Significance

    • A low white blood cell count can show the doctor if your child is at risk of infection or if he already is suffering from an infection, virus or disease. Too many or too few white blood cells can affect your child's immune system. If your child has felt abnormally tired or been bruising easily, a white blood count test may help the doctor understand why.

    How the Test is Taken

    • The white blood count test will be taken by a medical professional. The nurse will draw blood from your child's vein. For infants, the blood may be drawn from the heel of her foot. For children, a needle will be inserted into the inside of the elbow or the top of the hand. Blood will be withdrawn and collected in a syringe or vial.

    Healthy White Blood Count for Children

    • A healthy range of white blood cells is between 3,000 to 10,000 white blood cells per microliter, but an exact range is dependent upon the child's age and sex. Any number that falls above or below the healthy range could be considered a problem, and your doctor may want to run additional tests on your child.

    Abnormal Results

    • A low white blood cell count test means that your child has a decreased number of disease and infection fighting cells in his blood. This could lead to an increased chance for infection or virus. A high white blood cell count shows that your child has too many disease-fighting cells in his blood. An increase in high white blood cell numbers can mean that your child is fighting an infection, disease or virus.

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