Basophils in the blood of a child

Content

Why do we need basophils
Norm in children
Elevated level
The reasons
What to do
Lack of basophils

White cells in the blood of a child are represented by several species. One of them is basophils, whose name is due to the staining of leukocytes with special dyes. Such shaped elements, although contained in the peripheral blood in a small percentage, are very important for maintaining the health of the child. What is their function, what is the level of basophils in healthy children and why can it change?

Why do we need basophils

This type of leukocyte refers to granulocytes along with neutrophils and eosinophils, since there are granules inside these cells.

In the basophils in these granules are compounds, among which are histamine, prostaglandins, serotonins and many other substances involved in inflammatory and allergic reactions. Such cells do not last long in the blood (only a few hours), and then settle in the tissues and are there for about 10-14 days. After transition from the bloodstream to the tissue, basophils are called "histiocytes" or "mast cells."

Basophilic leukocytes are actively involved in immediate type allergies (anaphylactic reactions). In addition, due to the content of heparin, basophils are important for the regulation of blood clotting. Getting to the site of inflammation, colliding with an allergen, infectious agent or toxin, basophilic leukocytes release into the bloodstream the contents of their granules, resulting in increased vascular permeability, blood flow increases and other granulocytes are attracted. Basophils also have the ability to absorb foreign particles.

Norm in children

Basophils in the analysis of the blood of the child is determined as part of the leukocyte formula (it is also called a leukogram), therefore such cells in the analysis form are presented as a percentage of all leukocytes. The normal content of basophils in a child of any age, like a newborn, a preschooler or teenager, is considered to be 0-1%. If we take into account the absolute number of such cells, then the norm will be 0.01-0.065 x 10⁹/ l.

In children of any age, the level of basophils is normally constant.

Elevated level

When children have elevated basophils, this is called basophilia or basophilocytosis. In this condition, the absolute number of basophilic leukocytes will exceed 0.2 x 10⁹/ l.

The reasons

The most common cause of an increased number of basophils in a child’s blood is an allergic reaction, for example, to an insect sting, eating a certain food or taking a medicine. In this case, the basophilia will not be in the acute period, since these white blood cells in response to the effects of the allergen leave the bloodstream and pass into the tissues.

Basophils also increase in many chronic pathologies and during infection with worms. Prolonged inflammation or allergies are factors that stimulate the formation of basophils in the bone marrow and their increased flow into the bloodstream.

Basophils in the blood of a child increase with prolonged use of certain drugs.

An increased percentage of basophils is found in diseases such as:

Hypothyroidism.
Chronic sinusitis.
Nephrotic syndrome.
Polycythemia.
Ulcerative colitis.
Hepatitis.
Chronic leukemia.
Chickenpox.
Lymphogranulomatosis.
Itsenko-Cushing syndrome.
Hemolytic anemia.
Tumor processes.
Diabetes.
Poisoning.

If the child was treated with hormonal drugs, basophils in his analysis will also be increased. In addition, an increase in these leukocytes is provoked by the removal of the spleen, exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation, or iron deficiency.

What to do

If a child has a basophilic leukocyte count of more than 1% of all white blood cells, then the baby should be shown to a doctor. The pediatrician will assess the general condition of the child, complaints and other parameters of the blood test, after which he will look for the cause of elevated basophils (first of all - an allergy or inflammatory process).

As soon as such a cause is found, the child will be prescribed a treatment, during which the level of basophils is normalized. For example, if basophilia is triggered by drugs, after they are canceled, the level of basophilic leukocytes will drop less than 1%. Also, the doctor will recommend to add to the diet products from which the child will receive enough vitamin B12 (eggs, offal, meat and others).

The doctor will help determine the reason for the increase in the level of basophils in crumbs

Lack of basophils

A decrease in the percentage of basophilic leukocytes in a leukogram for many children is considered a variant of the norm. If the result of a child’s blood test shows a complete absence of basophils, this is not considered by doctors to be any diagnostically important criterion. A similar picture is observed under stress, during recovery from infectious diseases, after chemotherapy or with endocrine pathologies, however, changes in such diseases will not be limited to basophilopenia.

We recommend viewing the record of Dr. Komarovsky’s program on clinical analysis of a child’s blood: