Blood Testing is a powerful tool to check your overall well-being and reduce the risk of chronic diseases that may affect your mental or physical health. A complete blood test or routine health checkup allows you to identify how your body reacts to your lifestyle and helps you take precautionary measures to prevent the disease.
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What Is the Complete Blood Count (CBC) Test?
The complete blood count (CBC) is a blood test that evaluates the patient’s overall health status and determines the presence of Anemia, infections, bleeding disorders, and cancer in the blood. CBC measures the value of cell counts present in the blood, such as RBC, WBC, platelets, hemoglobin, etc. CBCs can also give you information about your bone marrow’s ability to produce healthy red blood cells.
When a person’s cell count increases or decreases abnormally, it indicates that they are suffering from some underlying medical problem that requires further examination and treatment.
What Is CBC Used for?
The CBC is used to check for a variety of anemias and to evaluate if the body has enough healthy red blood cells, hemoglobin levels, or red blood cell count. It can keep track of diseases like cancer and heart failure. Platelet levels are also examined to determine whether the bone marrow produces enough platelets.
Why Is Complete Blood Count (CBC) Recommended?
A complete blood count is one of the most commonly performed blood tests to examine a medical condition. If you feel weak, exhausted, or have a recurrent fever, inflammation, or bleeding, your doctor may recommend a CBC test. This test helps doctors identify the underlying cause of these signs and symptoms and prescribe the best treatment accordingly.
What Is the Process of a Complete Blood Count Test?
Qualified phlebotomists or lab technicians use a clean and sterile syringe to draw blood from the superficial veins of the upper arm and transfer it to a test tube or vial as the first part of the CBC procedure. After that, the specimen will be transported to the best diagnostic lab for analysis.
The amount of blood drawn varies depending on the number of tests recommended by a doctor, but it’s generally between 1 and 3 milliliters.
What Do the Results Indicate?
The Complete Blood Test indicates the following:-
Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count
A red blood cell count indicates the number of red blood cells along with the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels present in your blood.
Hemoglobin: A protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
Hematocrit: A measurement of how much your blood is made up of red blood cells.
Low hemoglobin and hematocrit levels are often signs of Anemia, a condition that occurs due to iron deficiency in the blood. If the RBC count is lower than the normal range, it is considered an anemia case. Anemia can also be caused due to a deficiency of essential vitamins or blood loss. While on the other hand, if the RBC count is higher than the average count, it indicates a medical condition such as heart-related disease and polycythemia vera.
White Blood Cell (WBC) Count
White Blood Cells are essential to fight against infections and diseases, and these cells also help heal wounds quickly. WBC count indicates the number of WBC present in the blood. A decrease in the number of WBCs is caused by many factors, including autoimmune disorder that damages white blood cells and leads to dangerous diseases, such as bone marrow problems or certain types of cancer. An increase in white blood cells indicates that you are affected by infections or immune system disorders.
Platelet Count
The role of platelets is to form a clot at the site of an injury to prevent bleeding. You could bleed excessively after an injury or surgery if your platelet count drops. A platelet count that is either lower than normal (thrombocytopenia) or greater than normal (thrombocytosis) is usually an underlying medical condition or a pharmaceutical side effect. If the platelet count is abnormally high, the doctor may recommend more testing to establish the cause.
Overview
A complete blood test helps determine the overall health of individuals, and the doctor can prescribe further treatments by the Complete Blood Count (CBC)blood test results. Diagnostic centers in India offer Complete Blood Count tests as a part of their various health checkup packages. But, you should always visit a well-known diagnostic center or pathology lab for your CBC test.
