Complete Blood Count
The complete blood count is the measure of the cellular concentration, number and size of the platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells. These measures are always generally discovered by special equipments that dissect the constituents of the blood. The white blood cell is a part of the immune system and help the body to fight disease. The red blood cell is necessary for the transportation of oxygen to all cells in the body. The platelet plays a very essential rol in the formation of blood clots. The red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet are produced and matures in the bone marrow, are released to the bloodstream as needed under normal circumstances. A standard CBC evaluates the following in the red blood cell RBC count, HB, Hematocrit, MCV, MCH,MCHC evaluates WBC in the white blood cell and Platelet count in the Platelet.
RBC count: This measures the number of red blood cell that is present in the body. The Normal range in men is 4.32- 5.72 million cells/mcl and in women 3.90-5.03 million cells/mcl. Anaemia is mostly due to a low concentration of red blood cell in the body.
Haemoglobin (HB): This is the protein molecule in the blood that carries oxygen. High HB count may be as a result of smoking, dehydration or tumor while a low count Hb may be due to chemotherapy, kidney failure, bone marrow problem, or sickle cell disease. The normal range in men is 14-17 gram per deciliter (gm/dl) and women 12-15 gram per deciliter( grm/dl)
Hematocrit (HCT): This is the percentage of the red blood cell to the volume of whole blood. High hematocrit may be as a result of chronic smoking or other conditions.The normal range in men between 41% and 50% and in women between 36% and 44%.
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV): it is the average size of the red blood cell. An oversize red blood cell increases the level of MCV indicating the presence of low VitaminB12. Normal range may fall between 80-95 femtoliters( a fraction of one millionth of a liter)
Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin: it is the average amount of haemoglobin present in a normal red cell. It transports oxygen to the organs and tissues in the body and moves carbon dioxide to the lungs. Normal range is 27-32 picogram
Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration: This is average concentration of haemoglobin in the red blood cell. It explains how densely packed the haemoglobin levels are in the cell.Normal range is between 32%-36%.
White blood cell count: The white blood cell helps the body with fighting infections. With low count, there is a possible risk of infection and a high count indicates an inflammation or infection in the body. The normal range is between 3,500 to 10,500 cell/mcl.
Platelet count:Platelet helps in blood clotting. Platelet count measures the level of platelet in the blood. The normal range is between 140,000- 450,000 cell/mcl.
Platelet distribution width: this measures the variation in size of platelet in the cell