WBC
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | White blood cell count |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Medical, Sports |
WBC has three meanings. The most common are White blood cell count (laboratory test) and World Baseball Classic (sports governing body); it can also stand for World Boxing Council.
Meanings of WBC at a glance
| # | WBC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White blood cell count | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 2 | World Baseball Classic | Sports › Sports Governing Body |
| 3 | World Boxing Council | Sports › Sports Governing Body |
1. White blood cell count
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Total number of leukocytes in a volume of blood, reported per microliter or as cells x 10^9 per liter, with a typical adult range of about 4,500 to 11,000 per microliter. A high count (leukocytosis) suggests infection, inflammation, steroid use or leukemia; a low count (leukopenia) can follow chemotherapy, viral illness or marrow failure.
Example: Her WBC jumped to 18.6 overnight, so the team added a lactate and blood cultures.
WBC also names the cells themselves, as in "WBCs in the urine". Reports usually print the count as 7.2, meaning 7,200 cells per microliter. A rising count with many immature band forms is called a left shift. Corticosteroids raise the WBC by releasing neutrophils that normally cling to vessel walls, a classic non-infectious cause of leukocytosis.
2. World Baseball Classic
Sports · Sports Governing Body Abbreviations
International baseball tournament for national teams, organized by MLB and the MLB Players Association with the sanction of the WBSC. Unlike Olympic baseball, it features active MLB stars playing for their home countries.
Example: Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to win the 2023 WBC for Japan.
First held in 2006, when Japan beat Cuba in the final. Japan also won in 2009 and 2023, the Dominican Republic in 2013 and the United States in 2017. The 2023 final in Miami ended with Ohtani striking out his then-Angels teammate. Players may represent a country through citizenship or heritage, so many MLB players choose their parents' homelands.
3. World Boxing Council
Sports · Sports Governing Body Abbreviations
Professional boxing sanctioning body that recognizes world champions, publishes rankings and orders mandatory title defenses. Its champions wear a distinctive green belt, and it is one of the four major sanctioning bodies along with the WBA, IBF and WBO.
Example: Tyson Fury defended his WBC heavyweight belt at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
Founded in Mexico City in 1963 and still based there. After the death of South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim in 1982, the WBC cut championship fights from 15 to 12 rounds, and the other bodies followed. A boxer holding the belts of all four major bodies in a division is called undisputed champion.
Related abbreviations
More laboratory test abbreviations
- 25(OH)D – 25-hydroxyvitamin D
- A1C – A1C test (hemoglobin A1c)
- ABG – Arterial blood gas
- ABO – ABO blood group system
- ACT – Activated clotting time
- AFB – Acid-fast bacilli
- AG – Anion gap
- Alb – Albumin
See all 135 laboratory test abbreviations →
More sports governing body abbreviations
- AAU – Amateur Athletic Union
- AELTC – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
- AFC – Asian Football Confederation
- BCCI – Board of Control for Cricket in India
- CAF – Confederation of African Football
- CAS – Court of Arbitration for Sport
- CONCACAF – Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association…
- CONMEBOL – Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football…
See all 37 sports governing body abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.