total number of white blood cells in the human body
White blood cell The number of leukocytes in the blood is often an indicator of disease, and thus the WBC count is an important subset of the complete blood count. The normal white cell count is usually between 4 × 109/L and 11 × 109/L. In the US this is usually expressed as 4,000 to 11,000 white blood cells per microliter of blood.[3] They make up approximately 1% of the total blood volume in a healthy adult,[4] making them substantially less numerous than the RBCs at 40% to 45%. However, this 1% of the blood makes a large difference to health, because immunity depends on it. An increase in the number of leukocytes over the upper limits is called leukocytosis. It is normal when it is part of healthy immune responses, which happen frequently. It is occasionally abnormal, when it is neoplastic or autoimmune in origin. A decrease below the lower limit is called leukopenia. This indicates a weakened immune system.
Bone marrow Bone marrow is the flexible tissue in the interior of bones. In humans, red blood cells are produced by cores of bone marrow in the heads of long bones in a process known as hematopoiesis.[2] On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in an adult having 65 kilograms of mass (143 lb), bone marrow typically accounts for approximately 2.6 kilograms (5.7Â lb). The hematopoietic component of bone marrow produces approximately 500 billion blood cells per day, which use the bone marrow vasculature as a conduit to the body's systemic circulation.[3] Bone marrow is also a key component of the lymphatic system, producing the lymphocytes that support the body's immune system.[4] In addition to hematopoietic cells, the marrow is composed of marrow adipose tissue as well as trabecular bone. The interplay between these different cell types and the local factors they produce can have an effect on hematopoietic cells within the hematopoietic stem cell niche.