What Does It Mean When Your Neutrophils Are High?

A high neutrophil count or white blood cell count can indicate a variety of diverse conditions, no all of which are harmful. The test must be done in conjunction with other diagnostic measures to determine a diagnosis.

Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infections and heal injured tissues. 

Neutrophils are produced in the bone marrow, and they make up 55 to 70 percent of the total white blood cell count.

What Is a Normal Neutrophil Count?

An absolute neutrophil count (ANC) blood test may be ordered along with a complete blood count (CBC) test with differential. 

• Low levels of neutrophils are below 1.5 mcL or less than 45 percent of total white blood cells
  • If levels are between 1.0 to 1.5 mcL, it is considered mild
  • If levels are between 0.5 and 1.0 mcL, it is considered moderately low 
  • Levels of less than 0.5 mcL are considered severe low levels of neutrophils 
• Normal adult levels of neutrophils are about 1,500 to 8,000 or 1.5 to 8.0 neutrophils per microliters (mcL)
• High levels of neutrophils are more than 8000 neutrophils per mcL or 8.0 mcL

High levels of neutrophils in the blood are called neutrophilic leukocytosis or neutrophilia.

Causes of high levels of neutrophils in the blood (neutrophilia) include:

• Infections
  • Bacterial
  • Viral
  • Fungal
• Inflammatory conditions 
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis
  • Chronic hepatitis
  • Vasculitis
  • Kawasaki disease 
  • Adult Still's disease
  • Granulomatous infections
  • Bronchiectasis
• Certain medications
  • Catecholamines
  • Glucocorticoids
  • Myeloid growth factors
  • Plerixafor
  • Lithium
  • ATRA
  • Beta-2-agonists
  • Epinephrine
• Smoking tobacco
• Stress 
  • Exercise
  • Heat stroke
  • Surgery
  • Seizures
  • Emotional stress
• Obesity
• Seizures
• Endocrine disorders 
  • Thyroid storm
  • Hypercortisolism
• Pregnancy-associated conditions
  • Eclampsia
  • Post-partum state
• Certain cancers
  • Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) 
  • Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) 
  • Other myeloproliferative neoplasms — polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and chronic neutrophilic leukemia
  • Nonhematologic malignancy
• Genetic conditions 
  • Down syndrome
  • Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD)
  • Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL)
  • Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes 
• Injuries
• Accidents
• Surgical removal of the spleen