Blood Health
Absolute Neutrophils
What This Marker Tells Us
Measures the total number of neutrophils (the most abundant white blood cells) circulating in your blood, representing your primary defense against bacterial infections and acute inflammation.
Why It Matters
Neutrophils are your body's first responders to bacterial infections, tissue damage, and inflammation; they rapidly migrate to infection sites, engulf bacteria, and release antimicrobial substances. Elevated neutrophils (neutrophilia) typically indicate bacterial infection, acute inflammation, physical or emotional stress, tissue damage, or bone marrow disorders. Low neutrophils (neutropenia) increase infection risk, potentially leaving you vulnerable to serious bacterial infections. Severe neutropenia (below 500 cells/μL) is a medical emergency requiring precautions against infection. Neutrophils comprise 50-70% of total white blood cells, so changes in neutrophil count often drive total WBC changes. Chronic elevation may indicate persistent inflammation, smoking, or myeloproliferative disorders, while chronic low levels may result from autoimmune conditions, medications, or bone marrow suppression.
How to Interpret Your Trends
Normal absolute neutrophil count is approximately 1,500-7,500 cells/μL. Mild neutropenia (1,000-1,500 cells/μL) carries minimal infection risk. Moderate neutropenia (500-1,000 cells/μL) increases bacterial infection risk requiring vigilance. Severe neutropenia (below 500 cells/μL) is dangerous, requiring urgent medical evaluation and protective measures. Elevated neutrophils (above 7,500 cells/μL) suggest bacterial infection, inflammation, stress response, or smoking. Very high neutrophils (above 15,000-20,000 cells/μL) indicate significant infection, severe inflammation, or rarely leukemia. Athletes and people under acute stress may have temporarily elevated neutrophils without infection.
What Influences This Marker
Neutrophils increase with bacterial infections, acute inflammation, tissue damage or trauma, physical stress (exercise, surgery), emotional stress, smoking, obesity, steroid medications, and myeloproliferative disorders. They decrease with viral infections (sometimes), bone marrow suppression (chemotherapy, radiation), autoimmune destruction, medications (many drugs), severe infections (overwhelming sepsis), nutritional deficiencies (B12, folate, copper), and some ethnic groups have benign ethnic neutropenia with chronically lower counts but no increased infection risk.
How Your Team Uses It
Your coach supports immune health through adequate sleep, stress management, balanced nutrition with sufficient protein and micronutrients, and appropriate training intensity. For low neutrophils, they may emphasize infection prevention through good hygiene, adequate rest, and avoiding overtraining that could further suppress immune function.
Related Signals We Also Review
Total WBC, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, bands, hs-CRP, and clinical symptoms for comprehensive immune assessment.