The Importance of the CBC Blood Test

One of the components of the routine physical examination is the Complete Blood Count (CBC) blood test, which provides a lot of information to the physician regarding the state of a person’s health. This particular test utilizes certain kinds of machines to measure the density of red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and platelets in the blood. The CBC blood test usually requires about one to two teaspoons of blood that is taken from the patient’s vein by using a syringe.

The results of the CBC usually include several values regarding the basic components of the blood. These include the WBC count, the WBC differential count, the RBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelet count and mean platelet volume.

The CBC blood test may be part of a routine physical exam or it may be ordered by the physician to help in the diagnosis of a person’s disease or to monitor certain types of treatments. For example, a high WBC count may serve as a clue that there is an infection in a certain part of the body or it may indicate the presence of a malignancy. On the other hand, a low WBC count may signal a problem in the bone marrow or it could be a side effect of chemotherapy. A physician may also use the WBC count to monitor how the patient is responding to the treatment of an infection.

Meanwhile, a high RBC count may indicate the lack of oxygen in the blood or a bone marrow problem. A low RBC count may provide a clue that the patient is suffering from anemia. Low values of hematocrit also point to anemia. Still another possible indicator of anemia or other diseases is a mean corpuscular volume that is too big or too small. A high platelet count may indicate severe inflammation or a bone marrow disease while a low platelet count may the reason for prolonged hemorrhage. If the mean platelet volume is too high, it means that the patient has a high risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack.