“Should I see a hematologist? ”
Hi Dr,
I am a male, 41 years old. I had the results from the Flow cytometry - blood - lymphocyte markers test and everything looks ok, but the Natural Killer cells count. CD56+3- reading is high (452 cells/uL). from my Full blood count, the only one in the low side is the RBC which has been borderline low for a while fluctuating between 4.6 and 4.7.
From the other tests, the only one abnormal is the total protein which is slightly high.
My symptoms are bone pain (Back pain, chest pain, forearm, joints, legs, hand, wrist and feet), muscle tenderness, dizziness and a slight ataxia.
Shall I see a hematologist?
I have a family history of plasma cell dyscrasia.
Thank you.
I am a male, 41 years old. I had the results from the Flow cytometry - blood - lymphocyte markers test and everything looks ok, but the Natural Killer cells count. CD56+3- reading is high (452 cells/uL). from my Full blood count, the only one in the low side is the RBC which has been borderline low for a while fluctuating between 4.6 and 4.7.
From the other tests, the only one abnormal is the total protein which is slightly high.
My symptoms are bone pain (Back pain, chest pain, forearm, joints, legs, hand, wrist and feet), muscle tenderness, dizziness and a slight ataxia.
Shall I see a hematologist?
I have a family history of plasma cell dyscrasia.
Thank you.
Male | 41 years old
Complaint duration: 1.5 years
Medications: none
2 Answers
The RBC number is a calculated number and generally unhelpful. It sounds like you have already seen a hematologist, since they are commonly the ones who order flow cytometry tests and recommend bone marrow biopsies. An elevated population of NK cells can be reactive (a response to infection or inflammation) or may be a feature of LGL leukemia. If your counts continue to fall to less than "borderline levels," you should consider a formal Hematology/Oncology evaluation.
It doesn't seem that you have a hematologic problem, but I would see a hematologist to work up the elevated protein if he/she feels it is necessary.
