[dianaiad]

RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by dianaiad on Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:55 pm

Had blood tests yesterday ... the usual 'just before he renews the Revlimid' tests. They were all within the normal range except the "RBC nucleated auto count.bld,' which has always come back as ".0"

Yesterday it came back as ".1" for the very first time since I started this whole shebang.

I have done some research (don't we all?) about it, and have come up confused. I understand that bone marrow produces these as a 'response to an event,' and that multiple myeloma is quite likely to cause them. I've also read that patients who have such cells ... and are in the hospital ... are a lot more likely to, ehrm ... not come home than those who don't.

So, what, if anything at all, does it mean? At first glance it doesn't seem like a big deal, but then I read that finding even one in an adult patient is a worrisome sign.

So is it?

I am considered 'high risk' (P17), but all my other tests are well within the 'normal' range, and I'm six months out of an SCT.

Can anyone here translate all the gobbledegook for me?

Thanks.

[Eric Hofacket]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by Eric Hofacket on Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:24 pm

Dianaiad,

I took my labs for Revlimid prescription renewal today too. I see nRBC on my labs as well but had not paid much attention to it until I saw your post. Looking back at my past lab results, I see that mine has always been 0%. Doing a quick read on what nRBC is, I see that why you are a bit concerned about the change, especially since it had been 0% after SCT.

I would have to believe that this will get the attention of your oncologist/hematologist. Please let us know what the outcome is. Hopefully it is nothing that is that serious. I have not seen anything on this before.

[poontzy]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by poontzy on Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:06 pm

Hi,

I tested at a 1 on Jan 4, 2012 before my stem cell transplant. I had a round of chemo before growth and harvest.

Although I have not had a complete response, I am doing very well. B2 is down from 22.5 to 6.11, IgA up from 1 to 55, IgG down from 3510 to 944, IgM up from >5 to 11, kappa free down from 1090 to 177, kappa /lambda down from >1000 to 5.8, and M spike down from 3.6 to 0.6.

I it took 2 years to get here, but, all in all, it has been a pretty uneventful journey even with a nucleated RBC of 1. Great quality of life throughout (even on dialysis).

So as with anything, it may read bad, but that doesn't always make it so.

[Dr. Adam Cohen]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by Dr. Adam Cohen on Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:09 pm

Nucleated RBC are immature red blood cells that are found in the bone marrow, but typically do not make it out into the circulating blood. In your case, however, an occasional nucleated RBC in the blood is nothing to worry about, especially if the other blood counts are normal. It likely just reflects your bone marrow working overtime to make new red cells after the transplant and in response to the ongoing Revlimid treatment.

[AMMP]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by AMMP on Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:41 am

nRBC is nothing to really worry about, especially at the low of a number of 1. They are just immature red blood cells that the bone marrow is creating and as long as everything else looks good, its really not something to worry about because life is too short. If you notice a high amount of them and your other lab work looks funky, then, yes, see a doctor ASAP.

I have beta thalassemia major (Cooley's anemia) and my nRBC are a lot higher then what everyone else is freaking out about. Just recently my lab report said I have nRBc of 16.6 and my nRBC% was 94.2

[Eric Hofacket]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by Eric Hofacket on Wed Aug 13, 2014 4:53 pm

AMMP,

You make a good point. I had my first none zero nRBC earlier this year. I learned that unless your doctor gets excited about it, there is no reason for you to get excited about it.

For normally healthy people, having nucleated red blood cells show up unexpectedly out of the blue can be a really bad sign, but when undergoing things like a SCT and taking chemotherapy and other drugs, it can be an expected side effect. Like a lot of other lab results, they have to be taken in context of overall health and treatments.

[AlysonW]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by AlysonW on Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:52 pm

I found this thread searching for info on nRBC's and I'm hoping someone can help me get this straight in my head.

I do have iron deficient anemia and get ferritin infusions. All numbers associated with iron panel are currently ok, although transferrin saturation is a bit high. I do have celiac disease (diagnosed three years ago at 47) and have had autoimmune leukopenia / neutropenia since I was a teen­ager. I've been having all sorts of crazy health issues the last few years and am followed by a GI, a hematologist, a rheumatologist, and an endocrinologist.

I know a positive nRBC can be due to anemia and celiac disease as well, but would that be the case if both those issues are under control and have been for several years?

I appreciate any thoughts anyone has!

[shortcop184]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by shortcop184 on Mon Apr 27, 2015 3:05 pm

I just got my test back. I am 138 days out from transplant. Nucleated RBC indicated H 0.23. What does this mean? I had a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy done last Monday.

[S Washington]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by S Washington on Sat Sep 29, 2018 2:36 am

So, does that mean that a test result for Nucleated RBC value of 0.0 is normal? Thanks in advance.

[Foundry738]

Re: RBC nucleated auto count - supposed to be zero, right?

by Foundry738 on Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:18 pm

Yes, an nRBC of 0.0 is normal.