title: The white cell count in pregnancy and labour: a reference range.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The white cell count (WCC) can be raised in pregnancy, but there is no published data-set to support a normal range. This study aimed to develop one.
  
  
  METHODS
  The WCC of 500 consecutive labouring women at term receiving regional anaesthesia and 500 consecutive women delivered at term by elective caesarean section were retrieved from an electronic database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean and derived reference range at term with no labour was 8.9 × 10(9)/L (5-13 10(9)/L) and for the labouring group was 15.3 × 10(9)/L (5.3-25.3 × 10(9)/L). Fifteen women had a WCC > 25.3 × 10(9)/L (range 25.4-33.5 × 10(9)/L) not associated with severe sepsis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Two distinct normal ranges have been established to aid clinicians recognise normal and abnormal results.
authors.affiliation: RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam .
authors.forename: Raman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sivasankar
authors.forename: R Anil
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baraz
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Collis
mesh_terms: D002585:Cesarean Section; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D047929:Term Birth / Q000097:blood
keywords: Maternal sepsis; sepsis bundle; systemic inflammatory response