High intensity exercise before a blood test

[Fenthis Glusos]

So a few weeks ago I had a blood test and naively worked-out in the fasted state prior to, thinking that no significant distortion could come of it.

But, now I got the results back and they're telling me my white blood cell count is low and other things related to my liver with abnormalities....so, considering that I eat real good day in/day out, I am kind of aghast at what could be causing this other than my work-out prior to the test.

I did some preliminary searches online which yielded some corroborative consolation on my behalf (namely that exercise can mess with numbers) but am just wondering if anyone here has anything to contribute before I call back my doctor and explain some things to him.

[Steven Low]

Well, macrophages and other white blood cells do go to the site of damage and inflammation -- aka your muscles -- after you exercise. Part of normal immune response. This is why exercise right after depresses your immune system and leaves less WBCs to fight off other pathogens. Hence, why intense exercise while sick is a bad idea.

What other things were abnormal that you would need explained though? Would it cost you anything to get another blood test?

[Garrett Smith]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

These findings highlight the importance of imposing restrictions on weightlifting prior to and during clinical studies. Intensive muscular exercise, e.g. weightlifting, should also be considered as a cause of asymptomatic elevations of liver function tests in daily clinical practice.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

An acute-phase inflammatory response consisted of a post-game peak of leukocyte count, cytokines, and cortisol, a 24-hour peak of CRP, TBARS, and DOMS, a 48-hour peak of CK, LDH, and PC, and a 72-hour peak of uric acid.[...]A single soccer game induces short-term muscle damage and marked but transient inflammatory responses. Anaerobic performance seems to deteriorate for as long as 72-hour post-game. The acute phase inflammatory response in soccer appears to follow the same pattern as in other forms of exercise. These results clearly indicate the need of sufficient recovery for elite soccer players after a game.

Put simply, you should get the tests redone. They are likely not valid for much at this point.

[Fenthis Glusos]

Thanks, guys

I didn't lift weights before, I just did some 15-20 minutes of heavy conditioning (including a 100 burpee challenge - not too smart a move).

[Darryl Shaw]

It might be that your white blood cell count is low because you're fitter than average.

A team from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center carried out tests on 452 healthy men who were taking part in a long-term study of fitness.

Blood tests were taken, and analysed for their content of various types of white blood cell.

After taking account of age, the researchers found that all groups of white blood cell were lowest in the men who were most physically fit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7669966.stm

Fitness had an inverse association with total white blood cell count and white cell subfraction concentrations whereas a higher body mass index correlated with higher white cell levels, Timothy Church, M.D., Ph.D., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and colleagues reported online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiolo...yDisease/11344