Why are monocytes in the blood increased and what to do about it

What is the highest level of monocytes?

Monocytes K. R. Karlmark, F. Tacke, and I. R. Dunay. Monocytes in health and disease - Minireview / European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology is a type of white blood cell. That is, white blood cells, thanks to which the immune system protects the body from various infections and cellular damage.

If you look at the results of a complete blood count (CBC) of a healthy person, then the monocytes in it will be Blood differential test / School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2–8% of the total number of leukocytes.

A condition where the level of monocytes rises above the Monocyte Count / ScienceDirect 10%, or, in absolute terms, more than 1,000 Abhishek A. Mangaonkar, Aaron J. Tande, and Delamo I. Bekele. Differential Diagnosis and Workup of Monocytosis: A Systematic Approach to a Common Hematologic Finding / Current Hematologic Malignancy Reports Cells Per Microliter Blood (1 × 10 ⁹/ l), doctors call monocytosis Monocyte Disorders / MSD Manuals.

Should I worry if my monocyte count is elevated?

Not always. If you are feeling well, and an increase in the level of monocytes was discovered by chance - for example, during a preventive blood test - most likely, nothing terrible will happen to your health.

This could be due to Monocytosis / CancerTherapyAdvisor for quite safe reasons:

Age. In children and adolescents, the level of monocytes sometimes reaches 3,000 per microliter. To correctly interpret the results of the analysis, you need to check them with age norms. This should be done by the doctor who gave the referral for the study.
Exercise stress. After training or a physically stressful day, the number of monocytes can increase by 50-100%.
The recovery period after an acute infectious disease.
Taking some medications.
Stress Marcelvan de Wouw, Marzia Sichetti, Caitriona M. Long-Smith, Nathaniel L. Ritz, Gerard M. Moloney, Anne-Marie Cusack, Kirsten Berding, Timothy G. Dinan, John F. Cryan. Acute stress increases monocyte levels and modulates receptor expression in healthy females / Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
Laboratory error.

So the best solution, if you get a result that surprises you, is to consult a doctor and repeat the analysis in a few days. Perhaps he will show the norm.

If monocytosis is confirmed and the physician cannot explain it by age, medication or other obvious factors, it will be necessary to look for the causes of the disorder.

Why is the level of monocytes increased?

Since this type of white blood cell is closely related to immunity, a confirmed high level of monocytes always says one thing: the body is fighting some kind of disease.

Most often this is Monocyte Count / ScienceDirect:

Chronic infections. For example, infectious mononucleosis, mumps, measles, tuberculosis, hepatitis (especially at the stage when they develop into cirrhosis of the liver), syphilis.
Autoimmune disorders, including Abhishek A. Mangaonkar, Aaron J. Tande, and Delamo I. Bekele. Differential Diagnosis and Workup of Monocytosis: A Systematic Approach to a Common Hematologic Finding / Current Hematologic Malignancy Reports rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease.
Infections caused by any parasite: both worms and malaria can lead to monocytosis.
Certain blood disorders.
Certain types of cancer. Thus, a tenfold increase in the level of monocytes is the most common symptom of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. This is a type of cancer that begins in the cells that produce blood in the bone marrow. …

What to do if the level of monocytes is elevated

Contact a doctor - therapist (if you donated blood yourself) or the specialist who issued you a referral for analysis.

Your task is to find out what disorder led to an increase in the number of monocytes in the blood. To this end, Abhishek A. Mangaonkar, Aaron J. Tande, and Delamo I. Bekele. Differential Diagnosis and Workup of Monocytosis: A Systematic Approach to a Common Hematologic Finding / Current Hematologic Malignancy Reports the physician will conduct an examination, ask you in detail about your well-being and symptoms, and look into the medical history. You will most likely need additional blood tests and other tests. For example, do a chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound, biopsy.

After a preliminary diagnosis has been made, you will be referred to a specialized specialist - gastroenterologist, hepatologist, rheumatologist, oncologist. It is necessary to cure or correct the underlying disease. When you do this, your monocyte levels will return to normal by themselves.