Types of White Blood Cells

White Blood Cells (WBCs) or 'leucocytes' play a very important role in the immune system, which safeguards our body from various organisms and infections that contain diseases. They protect our body from infections by maintaining or improving the resistance power of the body. They are totally responsible for repairing the damaged tissues of the body, and locomote within and outside the blood. If the body is in a healthy condition and its resistance power is strong, the production of WBCs is increased significantly, depending on the need and severity of the infection or disease.

The presence of WBCs in the blood is much lesser than that of Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Their lifespan may vary from a few days to even months. However, their production is continuous, and a healthy body would never lack WBCs. Their size is a bit larger than RBCs, but they can easily go through the bloodstream by changing their shape accordingly.

Unlike the RBCs, there are five types of WBCs which are differentiated according to their role in the body's immune system.

Neutrophils: They take their name from neutro, which means 'neutral', and phil from philia, which means 'loving'. Each neutrophil consists of four granules in the nucleus, and they cover up around 55-70% of the total WBC count in the blood. They also consist of a sectioned nuclei which is 'C' in shape. They are generally present near the infected or injured area and stick to the blood vessels' walls. They typically absorb extraneous materials which may try to enter the bloodstream. Sometimes, they can even be found in the pus of a wound.

Eosinophils: These cells cover up around 2-5% of the total WBC count in the blood, and primarily attack parasites and any toxin or enzyme complexes. They also play a crucial role in the allergic responses of the blood. The size of an eosinophil is similar to that of a neutrophil. The working procedure of eosinophils is still not exactly known to scientists, but it is believed that there is a considerable rise in their number when the body senses the existence of allergens or parasites.

Basophils: They are the least found cells, with less that 1% of the total WBC count in the blood. They release decoagulants and antibodies which act between hypersensitivity reactions within the blood. They are believed to possess features related to phagocytosis, though they are widely known to immediately respond to external germs and diseases. Their size is similar to that of eosinophils and neutrophils. They are the ones responsible for invoking the process of inflammation when an area of the body experiences warmth, swelling, or pain. During this process, they travel from the bloodstream to the area of inflammation.

Monocytes: These cells make up approximately 5-8% of the total WBC count in the blood. They are the biggest among all types of WBCs, and have nucleus which are of the shape similar to that of the kidney. They take out all foreign materials and help prevent harmful germs from entering the bloodstream, something which the neutrophils are unable to handle. They consume and digest the body cells which are dead or have become old, and also help remove cells that are not needed by the body.

Lymphocytes: They protect the body from the toxins released by bacteria and infecting germs by producing antibodies. These antibodies function like antitoxins and enter the plasma to destroy harmful bacteria in the blood. The antibodies also cause foreign materials to group together, after which phagocytes engulf and digest them. However, lymphocytes can only recognize and remove certain antigens.

If a person is infected by allergens or parasites, that simply means the number of WBCs are very less in his body. A healthy diet would surely help the body to produce sufficient WBCs to fight against various diseases.