An increase in monocytes is associated with which of the following conditions?

An increase in monocytes is often associated with tuberculosis because this condition triggers a specific immune response. Monocytes are a type of white blood cell that plays a critical role in the body’s immune defense, particularly against chronic infections like tuberculosis. They differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells, which are crucial for phagocytosing (engulfing and destroying) pathogens, including the bacteria that cause TB. Elevated monocyte levels indicate that the body is responding to a persistent infection, making tuberculosis a prime candidate for this association.

The other conditions, while they can involve immune responses or inflammation, are not directly linked to an increased monocyte count in the same specific way as tuberculosis. For example, asthma primarily involves eosinophilic inflammation rather than an increase in monocytes, and diabetes does not typically prompt a rise in monocytes; instead, it is more associated with other inflammatory markers. Cirrhosis can involve various immune changes, but it is not primarily characterized by heightened monocyte levels in the context of infection like tuberculosis is.