blood values and findings analysis
September 20, 2014 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. David Meyer
I have an older report from the University Hospital Heidelberg from tropical medicine - but I can't make sense of the values from back then. How could they possibly have found malaria or what would the values have been like? I'm not sure if they examined everything back then... by the way, my current blood values taken last Monday show a slight change in red blood cells. My family doctor says I have a mild anemia. Is that bad? Furthermore, since 2013 my lymphocytes have constantly been at a value of 18 (so low) and my SEG at 77 (so slightly elevated), the same values are present now as well. Doesn't that indicate a chronic infection? The baso was also at 2 in the report from 2013 instead of the reference range of 0-1. Thank you.
Hello,
Malaria is diagnosed microscopically with a so-called blood smear. But only with relevant medical history, for example if you have just come back from vacation. About 1-5% of red blood cells can be infected, which could potentially cause a slight decrease in red blood cells. You have been diagnosed with "mild anemia", which is harmless and often occurs in women during their period, or those who have a low iron intake in their diet. The other lab values you provided are harmless and should be considered in the overall picture. A chronic infection is not determined solely based on these values, especially since you should also be experiencing corresponding symptoms. So, it rarely makes sense to look at lab values alone. Don't worry.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Best regards,
D. Meyer
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