Leukocyte profile of apparently healthy prospective blood donors in Owerri, Nigeria

We studied the leukocyte parameters in apparently healthy adults with a goal to define peculiarities in leukocyte parameters that can be useful for comparative evaluation of Nigerian patients by clinicians. Utilizing microscopic examination of Leishman's stained slides of venous blood from of one thousand two hundred and thirty (1,230) subjects, we reported Relative neutropenia and lymphocytosis due mainly to lymphocyte dominance. We also noted raised eosinophils and leucopenia which was significant among commercial blood donors. In conclusion, Nigerians may exhibit leucopenia, relative neutropenia with lymphocyte dominance and eosinophilia most likely as a reflection of dietary and environmental/health status rather than as an inherited trait.