What does it mean when the neutrophil percentage is elevated?
Disease description:
Recently, during a hospital health checkup, I was told that my neutrophil percentage was elevated. This had never occurred in my previous checkups—could you please explain what this means?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Li Ping
Hello, your complete blood count (CBC) shows an elevated percentage of neutrophils, which typically suggests a bacterial infection. Neutrophils play a key role in phagocytosing and eliminating bacteria; thus, during bacterial infection, the immune system responds by increasing neutrophil production as a protective mechanism. If the CBC reveals elevated neutrophil or white blood cell counts, bacterial infection is the most likely cause, and treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics is generally recommended. I hope this information is helpful to you. Wishing you good health!
