B3 White Blood Cells
White Blood Cells:
- White blood cells, also known as leucocytes, are easily defined by the presence of a nucleus
- They represent <1 % of the cells circulating in normal peripheral blood
- There are several types of white blood cell but they have some common features:
- Unlike red blood cells, they only use the blood as a means of transport around the body
- This is generally from their site of production to their site of function
- They have the ability to move by amoeboid type locomotion
- This allows them to leave the cardiovascular system - usually in post-capillary venules to enter connective tissue spaces where they function
- They are generally involved in immune type responses
- In a healthy individual the % of each type of white blood cell falls within a normal range (details will be given in subsequent pages for each type of white blood cell)
- When the % of each cell type falls outwith the normal range it provides a valuable indicator of disease
White Blood Cell Categories:
- White blood cells fall into two main categories with sub-categories, these are:
- Neutrophils
- Eosinophils
- Basophils
- Lymphocytes
- Monocytes
Granular leucocytes
Agranular leucocytes
