Urinalysis and Body Fluids 6th Edition by Majorie DiLorenzo, Susan Strasinger

Exercise 24

The highest WBC count can be expected to be seen with:

A. Noninflammatory arthritis

B. Inflammatory arthritis

C. Septic arthritis

D. Hemorrhagic arthritis

Step 1 of 2

White blood cells (WBC):

In synovial fluid, the most frequently performed cell count is White Blood Cell (WBC) and the Red Blood Cell (RBC) counts are not often requested.

• The count process in synovial fluid should be performed as soon as possible to prevent cellular degeneration otherwise the specimen should be refrigerated.

• Neutrophil granulocyte or neutrophils is a type of fully developed white blood cells (WBC) found in blood.

• Neutrophils help to fight against diseases and microbial infections.

• The higher percentage of neutrophils indicates a septic condition; it causes high disorder in joint.

Types of disorders (arthritis):

There are four groups of joint disorder; they are Noninflammatory, Inflammatory, Septic and Hemorrhagic.

• Neutrophils present in these joint disorder groups are listed below:

Group classification	Neutrophil percentage (%)
Noninflammatory	< 30
Inflammatory	> 50 to < 70
Septic	> 75
Hemorrhagic	Equal to blood

• The table shows that the “septic arthritis” contains highest WBC count.

Therefore, the highest WBC count has been expected in “septic arthritis”. Hence, the correct answer is option .