What is a complete blood cell count (CBC)?
A complete blood cell count is a measurement of size, number, and maturity of the different blood cells in a specific volume of blood. A complete blood cell count can be used to determine many abnormalities with either the production or destruction of blood cells. Variations from the normal number, size, or maturity of the blood cells can be used to indicate an infection or disease process. Often with an infection, the number of white blood cells will be elevated. Many forms of cancer can affect the bone marrow production of blood cells. An increase in the immature white blood cells in a complete blood cell count can be associated with leukemia. Anemia and sickle cell disease will have abnormally low hemoglobin. Common hematological tests: Some common hematological tests include the following: Test Uses Complete blood count (CBC), which includes: • white blood cell count (WBC) • red blood cell count (RBC) • platelet count • hematocrit red blood cell volume (Hct) • hemoglobin (Hgb) conc
