Thalassemia Patients and Friends
Discussion Forums => Thalassemia Minor => Topic started by: slay on February 04, 2018, 07:17:29 PM
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On the last 6 bloodworks over the past 3 years, here are my "Monocytes" levels:
11.6, 10.1, 10.2, 9.8, 11.4, 12.3
Only one (9.8) is within range of <10. Google's list of usual suspects for monocytosis doesn't ring a bell with me.
Does anyone else have elevated monocyte levels?
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Are your platelet levels also high? Sometimes, high results for the different types of blood cells are seen in thal minors because the bone marrow is overactive.
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Hi Andy,
Platelet levels are as follows, in reverse chronological order:
192 [150-425]
195 [150-450]
248 [140-400]
251 [150-450]
Look pretty normal. What do you think?
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The normal platelets demonstrate that the high white cell count is not related to overactive bone marrow. Most likely related to an infection or inflammation in the body.
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Are your platelet levels also high? Sometimes, high results for the different types of blood cells are seen in thal minors because the bone marrow is overactive.
Andy, what can be done if the bone marrow is overactive?
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Raising the Hb is the only way to slow down bone marrow activity, and even then, some minors whose Hb is normal have very high RBC counts, indicating that in spite of the normal Hb, they are still producing too many red blood cells. The more I learn about thal, the more I see that there are no pat answers that apply to every thal. There are many things in the discussion about raising Hb. Wheatgrass in any form, folate, vitamin B-12, B Complex, magnesium, L-carnitine and vitamin E are all in that discussion. Minors are often wary of iron, but an iron rich diet may also have a positive effect on Hb, with the need dependent on the iron status of each person, without resorting to iron supplements, which are not a good idea over the long term. The body more easily absorbs iron from food than from supplements, so it's another factor in favor of a dietary approach.