When to see a doctor
By Mayo Clinic staffA high white blood cell count is usually found when your doctor has ordered tests to help diagnose a condition you're already experiencing. It's rarely an unexpected finding or simply discovered by chance. Talk to your doctor about what these results mean. A high white blood cell count and results from other tests may already indicate the cause of your illness, or your doctor may suggest other tests to further assess your condition.
- Laboratory reference values. Leukocytes. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2010.
- Coates TD. Definition and mechanisms of leukocytosis and neutrophilia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 12, 2010.
- Blood studies: Hematology and coagulation. In: Fischbach FT, et al. A Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009. http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&NEWS=N&PAGE=booktext&D=books&AN=00140036/7th_Edition/11&XPATH=/OVIDBOOK%5B1%5D/METADATA%5B1%5D/TBY%5B1%5D/EDITORS%5B1%5D. Accessed July 12, 2010.

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