NEUTROPHILS, ABSOLUTE, AUTOMATED COUNT (ANC)
saw 0.68 10*3/uL, expected 1.70 – 6.30 10*3/uL
NEUTROPHILS, MANUAL COUNT
saw 1.14 10*3/uL, expected 1.40 – 6.80 10*3/uL
LYMPHOCYTES, MANUAL COUNT
saw 0.79 10*3/uL, expected 1.10 – 3.50 10*3/uL
…normally the ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) and WBC Manual Differential are within 0.20 10*3/uL of each other as I get my blood drawn. This week we saw a 0.46 10*3/uL difference, which alarmed Victoria and me since 0.68 meant I was “heading south” again.
We called our oncology triage nurse to discuss my test results this evening and she said they’ve seen this from time to time.
The ANC comes from a blood centrifuge followed by an automated count where ANC = ((%neutrophils + %bands) x (WBC)) / (100).
The Neutrophils Manual Count is just that. The lab observed and recorded 1,140 neutrophils per microliter.
I’m told that Kaiser-Permanente recorded 1.14 10*3/uL as my Neutrophil count for this week, and that we should not be concerned. Vicky and I remained a bit puzzled about why there was such a difference between the two counts this week.
I’m hoping that one of our family/friends that understand blood chemistry and lab work better than we do can explain the difference, or why this would happen. 🤔🤷🏻♂️
REPLIES:
Rowena-Andres Verdan — I’ve been in Chemistry for 20 years, but Andy’s been in Hematology for 30 years. So Andy says the instrument counts 10000 cells. Manual count is 100 cells only, hence the difference. Instrument reading is more accurate. No need to be alarmed.
Ken Foreman — Thanks, Tita Rowie! 💕 … Victoria: see Tita Rowie’s answer. That’s a far better answer than the Oncology Nurse gave us. Good to know!