What are the normal percentages of neutrophils (white blood cells), lymphocytes (white blood cells), basophils (white blood cells), and eosinophils (white blood cells) in a female patient?

Normal White Blood Cell Differential Percentages in Female Patients

The normal percentages for white blood cell differentials in adult females are: neutrophils 45-75%, lymphocytes 16-46%, monocytes 4-11%, eosinophils 0-5%, and basophils 0-1%. 1

Neutrophils (Segmented)

• Normal range: 45-75% of total white blood cells 1
• The absolute neutrophil count and percentage may vary slightly with age, with values gradually decreasing in older women 2
• Higher baseline neutrophil counts are independently associated with increased 5-year mortality in community-dwelling older women, even within the normal range 3

Lymphocytes

• Normal range: 16-46% of total white blood cells 1
• Lymphocyte percentages gradually decrease with advancing age in females 2
• Lower baseline lymphocyte counts are independently associated with increased mortality in older women 3
• The within-subject biological variation for lymphocyte percentage in women is approximately 7.2% 4

Monocytes

• Normal range: 4-11% of total white blood cells 1
• Monocyte values remain very stable across all age groups in females 2
• The within-subject biological variation for monocytes (combined with basophils and eosinophils in some analyses) is approximately 14.9-16.7% 4

Eosinophils

• Normal range: 0-5% of total white blood cells 1
• The upper limit of normal for eosinophils in induced sputum is 1.9%, which differs from peripheral blood values 5
• High limit values for eosinophils remain relatively constant in young females (ages 5-10), gradually decrease between ages 10-20, and stabilize above age 20 2
• Eosinophil counts show no significant association with mortality in older women 3

Basophils

• Normal range: 0-1% of total white blood cells 1
• Basophil values remain very stable across all age groups in females 2
• A basophil count ≥20% is highly abnormal and defines accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukemia, requiring immediate BCR::ABL1 testing and hematologic evaluation 6
• No significant association between baseline basophil counts and mortality has been observed in older women 3

Important Clinical Considerations

• Band neutrophils (immature neutrophils) normally comprise 0-5% of the differential count, with elevated bands suggesting acute infection or stress 1
• These reference ranges apply primarily to women of northern European descent; black women have significantly lower total white cell counts and absolute neutrophil counts and should not be assessed using reference ranges derived for white populations 7
• Indian and Oriental women show only minor differences from white women and can generally be assessed using the same reference ranges 7
• The within-subject biological variation for total leukocyte counts in women (15.4%) is higher than in men (9.4%), meaning greater fluctuation is expected in serial measurements 4