What Are White Blood Cells?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
4. Basophils
Basophils are relatively rare in our bodies, accounting for only around 1% of all white blood cells. They help to protect us by responding to pathogens in the body by producing chemicals, including histamines. Histamines are a chemical that many people with allergies will be aware of because it’s this chemical that causes allergy symptoms.
While allergy symptoms are often irritating, histamines are still beneficial because they help remove genuinely harmful invaders from the body. Allergies occur when the body recognizes something as being harmful when it actually poses no threat to us – such as pollen. Basophils are closely associated with asthma as their response can result in constriction and/or inflammation of the airways.
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