Can ms cause high lymphocytes?

Let’s face it. Our bodies are complicated machines with a million different parts that all work together to keep us going. And just like any machine, sometimes things go wrong. One question that comes up from time to time is whether multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause high lymphocytes in the blood.

What Are Lymphocytes?

First off, let’s talk about what lymphocytes are. They’re a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in your body’s immune system. You’ve got two main kinds: B cells and T cells.

  • B cells make antibodies to help fight off infections.
  • T cells attack infected or abnormal cells directly.

Lymphocytes get their name from the fact that they originate in your lymphatic tissue but then move into your bloodstream where they circulate throughout your body.

Multiple Sclerosis 101

Now for those who don’t know much about multiple sclerosis (MS), it is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers called myelin. The damaged myelin forms scar tissues (sclerosis), which disrupts normal communication between your brain and the rest of your body causing various symptoms such as:

  • Muscle weakness or spasticity
  • Trouble with coordination and balance
  • Fatigue
  • Tingling or numbness
    and many others depending on which nerves are affected.

So, Can MS Cause High Lymphocytes?

The short answer is yes – sort of… but not always! To understand why this may be happening, we’ll have to dive deeper into how MS works and what happens when our bodies see something foreign or harmful lurking around (1) .

When you have any kind of infection inside or outside of your body – bacteria, virus or even cancerous cells-, there will be ”too many” suspicious looking invaders for you to guard against them by yourself, so your body calls in the troops of white blood cells including lymphocytes to lend a hand.

Multiple sclerosis is also kind of like this – except instead of recognizing invaders as foreign particles, it incorrectly targets part of your body. (2) . This increases inflammation and stimulates production of immune cells including T-cells which play a role in the nervous system damage that occurs with MS.

As a result, people living with MS can experience chronic levels of higher than normal activity among their immune cells, specifically T-lymphocytes. Consequently, these overactive immune cells frequent interaction with CNS antigens (proteins located exclusively within the central nervous system) propels them to attack nerve fibres leading to Neuroinflammation and Demyelination that eventually damages neurons and causes MS symptoms (3).

To sum up , Long-standing multiple sclerosis could cause an increase in “absolute” lymphocyte count reflecting high turnover rate due to persistent inflammation at various sites (4) .

It Gets Even More Complicated

Of course, things are never quite as simple as we’d like them to be- because additional factors aside from MS-but still predisposed by an underlying pathophysiology involving Immune dysregulation and Inflammation such:

  1. Presence AND severity status/current treatment for concurrent systemic infections —
    Yep! bacterial,syphillis,Lyme disease,HIV,Viral infections,Aids
  2. Use/Discontinuation/Switching/Non compliance resulting in withdrawal syndrome or rebound effect:
    Corticosteroids,methotrexate,Ante-neoplastic chemotherapeutic agents,
    3.Other Autoimmune disorders:
    Rheumatoid arthritis Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE),Grave’s disorder Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
    4.Prescription drugs Plus recent vaccination:
    Although rare but known culprits,Mustard gas,Hemimyasthenia in small molecules,levamisole,carbamazepine and numerous others.

Can also cause high lymphocyte counts ,much of the changes observed mimics those seen with MS making it more difficult to detect the root cause.(6)

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom

Even though multiple sclerosis can increase lymphocytes count which becomes less controllable as disease severity progresses (7) for relapsing-remitting ones (RRMS). \
It doesn’t mean that managing your ability to fight infection is out of reach.

Eating a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and proteins can help fuel your body with vitamins needed to bolster immune system response.Taking prescribed medication according to physician recommendation as well not skipping appointment or scheduled regular checkups are necessary commitments in combating overall health-related issues associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

Although you may have days when fatigue sets in tightening joints due spasticity; taking advantage of light exercises while resting whenever needed works wonders revisiting leisure activities,college courses,hobbies,daily social media apps could lighten up ones outlook amidst episodes.Reminding oneself that ”today is never forever” and keeping hope alive alongside family support,effective self-care practices such as massage therapy,warm baths or even watching hilarious comic skits reduces stress hormones allows patients develop effective MS Management strategies promoting Quality of Life throughout their career path.(9)

As always, seek guidance from experienced professionals before adding anything new into routine lifestyle measures in order not too offset they progress

In Summary

  • Lymphocytes are white blood cells primarily responsible for our immune defense mechanism .
  • Multiple sclerosis causes our immune cells – T-Lymphocytes -to attack itself resulting in damage to brain nerves leading “autoimmune”
  • Though people living with multiple sclerosis typically have higher than average lymphocyte counts caused by Neuroinflammation, other factors can also increase lymphocyte count.
  • Management strategy tailored around medication compliance,Lifestyle adaptations self-awareness practices for better symptom management actually help delay possible disability and life-threatening health-related issues .In between this reducing stress inducing activities as much as one can,is of topmost priority.

So the next time someone asks if MS can cause high lymphocytes , you’ll know what to say : “Yes but! – there is more to it than that.”

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