Basophils - BAS (BASO)

Basophils are a type of white blood cell. Like most types of white blood cells, basophils are responsible for fighting fungal or bacterial infections.

As an absolute count, an adult human should have 0 to 300 basophils per microliter of blood. There usually are no symptoms for an abnormal range of basophils.

What happens if basophils are high?

It can be caused by infections, severe allergies, or an overactive thyroid gland. An abnormally high basophil level is called basophilia. It can be a sign of chronic inflammation in your body. Or it can mean that a condition is causing too many white blood cells to be produced in your bone marrow.

Conditions that cause chronic inflammation include:

• rheumatoid arthritis.
• inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• psoriasis.
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

In some cases, having too many basophils can result from certain blood cancers.

If your basophil level is low, it may be due to a severe allergic reaction. If you develop an infection, it may take longer to heal.