Low lymphocyte count in your blood predicts you will get sick

It's that time of year again. Sneezing, and red eyes: they are signs that sometimes predict you are or will be sick. In addition to these symptoms, doctors can use other factors in your body to see if you are suffering from something.

If the number of so-called lymphocytes in your blood is very low, that's an indication that you could get sick in some time, according to a previous Danish study. That insight allows a doctor to take preventive measures for people diagnosed with such a low lymphocyte count.

A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell formed in the red bone marrow. Lymphocytes play an important role in the immune system. Lower levels of lymphocyte blood cells is a condition called lymphopenia.

Lymphopenia often comes to light in ordinary blood tests. Patients were usually not referred for further testing until now. The great importance of lymphopenia as a predictor of future health was not known.

“Our study showed that participants with lymphopenia were at high risk of dying; from any cause. Regardless of any other risk factor for all-cause mortality, including age,” writes Dr. Stig Bojesen.

Increased risk of death

The scientists examined the medical records of 108,135 people of Danish descent aged 20-100 who were enrolled in a Danish health registry between 2003 and 2015. They found a link between a low lymphocyte count and a greater risk of death from disease or illness. That risk was even higher when it came to death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, infection, and other causes. A total of 10,372 people died during the study period.

Tracking people at increased risk

Lymphopenia can also be a more passive indicator of the general vulnerability of the human body, which carries a high risk of death from any cause. Aging is associated with both the declining lymphocyte count found by the researchers in this study and mortality. Although the reason for the age-related decrease in lymphocyte count is not known, it may have to do with the thymus gland getting smaller over the years. This in turn leads to a reduction in the lymphocyte count. As a result, overall immune competence deteriorates.

“Participants may, of course, have had an undetectable and potentially fatal disease on the day of the study, which may have affected their lymphocyte count and risk of death,” he said. However, since the association between lymphopenia and high mortality persisted for several years after the participants were examined, it is unlikely to have influenced our findings,” the scientists said.

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