Introduction:
Monocytes are subtypes of white blood cells. They are a crucial element of your immune response to help fight infections in the body.The bone marrow generates monocytes and sends them into your bloodstream. Monocytes and their tissue-specific mature counterparts, macrophages, are critical components of the mononuclear phagocyte system (involved in ingesting microorganisms and foreign material in various tissues). Monocytes are responsible for regulating inflammatory and immune responses by interacting with white blood cells and serve as cells that can process protein antigens by differentiating into dendritic cells (responsible for initiating the adaptive immune response).
Monocytosis occurs when the monocyte count is too high. Monocytosis is often associated with infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. However, being diagnosed with monocytosis does not always mean it is a severe medical condition.
What Is Monocytosis?
Monocytosis means that the number of infection-fighting monocytes has abnormally increased to a more excellent value. Monocytosis is defined by an absolute monocyte count greater than 500/µL. Usually, it occurs in correlation with chronic inflammation resulting from infections like tuberculosis, syphilis, subacute bacterial endocarditis, and autoimmune diseases.
The average absolute monocyte count ranges between 0.2 to 0.8 × 109/L, with values varying significantly with age and sex.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that persistent monocytosis is an absolute monocyte count greater than 1 × 109/L, with monocytes accounting for more than ten percent of leukocytes persisting for more than three months.
What Causes Monocytosis?
Monocytosis refers to a high monocyte count. It is often a result of infectious diseases like mononucleosis or an autoimmune disease.
But high monocyte count can be developed even for less severe reasons, such as chronic stress or challenging workouts. Pregnancy can also cause monocytosis.
What Are the Symptoms Associated With Monocytosis?
Monocytosis may not have any specific symptoms. However, any symptoms you have encountered may be associated with the underlying cause. In general, the common symptoms may include fatigue, swelling, and fever.
What Conditions Cause Monocyte Levels to Be Higher Than Expected?
Monocytosis or a monocyte count higher than 800/µL in adults indicates that the body is fighting an infection. Some conditions that may cause a high monocyte count include:
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Viral Diseases - Such as infectious mononucleosis (glandular fever caused by Epstein-Barr virus), mumps, and measles.
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Parasitic Infections - Such as malaria or kala-azar.
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Tuberculosis - Monocytes are trained phagocytes highly skilled in defense against pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).
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Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia - A cancerous condition where the monocytes in the bone marrow begin to grow out of control).
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Chronic Inflammatory Diseases - Such as sarcoidosis (growth of accumulated small inflammatory cells in different body parts).
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Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis - is a disorder where the cells called histiocytes and eosinophils flourish in the lungs, often causing scarred tissue.
It is also believed that high monocyte levels relate to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, early detection of increased monocytes could help with heart health management. Moreover, a shift from a high to low monocyte count ratio can show progress in people with ulcerative colitis.
Also, the monocyte level and overall white blood count rise in response to acute stress, blood disorders, and immune response.
In many cases, the balance between different white blood cells helps tell the tale.
How Is Monocytosis Diagnosed?
Most of the time, monocytosis is discovered in a routine blood test. However, since this may be a sign of many potential medical conditions, your provider will perform several tests:
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Complete Blood Count (CBC) - This test is an initial step toward determining why you have monocytosis. Monocytes are a type of white blood cell. So in this test, the other white blood cell types in your sample are analyzed.
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Peripheral Blood Smear - This test helps narrow the list of specific and potential problems. The blood sample is collected and assessed under a microscope to check the size and shape of your cell.
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Absolute Monocyte Count - This test shows the number of monocytes in the blood sample. A final monocyte count is calculated by multiplying the percentage of monocytes in the CBC by the total number of white blood cells.
It is advised to check the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes to see if they are larger than average. Other tests may be recommended depending on the preliminary findings to help identify what caused the monocytosis.
How Is Monocytosis Treated?
Health care providers will closely examine your overall health by taking a good history of illness and diagnosis reports to identify and treat any underlying cause.
Generally, treatment may include the following:
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Treatment for viral infections usually focuses on symptom management.
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Antibiotics can treat only bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis.
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There are many parasitic diseases; lab tests will be required to determine the exact cause before any treatment can be planned.
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The management of blood cancers can include- Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplant, and surgery.
Can I Prevent Monocytosis?
Monocytosis is typically a sign of an underlying infection or an illness. The best way to prevent monocytosis is to avoid diseases and permanent medical conditions and boost your immune system by regularly exercising, quitting smoke, and not using tobacco products.
Conclusion:
Monocytes, along with other white blood cells, are an essential integration of the immune system. They help protect against infection and illness and foreign objects.Monocytosis may signify a severe medical condition such as an autoimmune disease, a blood disorder, cancer, or cardiovascular disease. It may also mean that you have encountered an infection. It may also point toward increased stress or recovery from an illness. If the monocytes are higher than they should be, a doctor can work to find the cause and start the required treatments.
