>>13750049What causes your monocyte level to be higher than normal?
When your monocyte level is high — known as monocytosis — it means your body is fighting something.
Some conditions that can cause an increase in the monocytes in your blood are:
viral infections, such as infectious mononucleosis, mumps, and measles
parasitic infections
chronic inflammatory disease
tuberculosis (TB), a chronic respiratory disease caused by a type of bacteria
Having too many monocytes is also the most commonTrusted Source sign of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. This is a type of cancer that begins in the cells that produce blood in bone marrow.
A recent study suggests a higher monocyte count may be related to cardiovascular disease, and that early detection of increased monocytes could help assess heart health management. More large-scale research is needed to confirm this.
In many cases, the balance between different types of white blood cells helps tell the tale.
For example, a 2015 studyTrusted Source found that a high-monocyte-to-low-lymphocyte ratio can help identify disease activity in people with ulcerative colitis.
