<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thanks to all those who contacted me and shared information.

For every person who said they had no problems with their White Blood 
Count there were *five *people who said they have or at sometime had 
chronic low White blood count.  So low WBC, among Celiacs, is more 
common than I would have predicted.

Of those with a history of low WBC there was little agreement among 
their doctors  on its significance.  Some doctors monitor closely by 
checking blood levels quarterly, while other doctors thought it to be of 
no importance, particularly when there were no other active health issues.

  Some doctors believe low WBC to be a sign of an undiagnosed autoimmue 
disease -- most likely Lupus.  But to have Lupus you need more symptoms 
than just low WBC.

(Note there are other causes of low WBC, but I'm assuming for this 
discussion that they have all been ruled out.  Examples are cancer 
therapy, HIV-AIDS and TB).

For various reasons my doctor now thinks a low WBC is important and 
should be taken very seriously and investigated and treated.  After 
ruling out bone marrow problems he thinks the most probable cause is an 
overwhelming infection that uses up white blood cells faster than they 
can be produced.  This type of infection could be as simple as H.Pylori, 
chronic ear infections, Staph or strep infections, or even bacterial 
overgrowth in the intestines.   He thinks the cure might be as simple as 
taking the right antibiotic.

Some people who contacted me thought there was no need to worry about 
low WBC because infection would send your WBC up.  However this is 
usually true with bacterial infections but is not the case with viral 
infections; the reverse is more often true -- that the WBC will get 
dangeously low.  When components of the WBC get to 0.00 hospitals put 
you in isolation.

I'll pass on any new information I receive.

www.MayoClinic.com has interesting information on the potential causes 
of low WBC.

Janette

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