Understanding Your Labs: The CBC

The CBC, or Complete Blood Count, is a routine blood test that a physician can order during a yearly physical or to evaluate for blood disorders and imbalances. There are two ways a CBC can be ordered: with or without a differential. A differential includes specific counts of the individual white blood cell types in the blood sample.

What is measured by a CBC?

According to LabCorp, a complete blood count offers results for tests like the hematocrit, hemoglobin, and individual counts for red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
The data collected from this lab test can help a physician determine if the patient is within "normal limits." In other words, the numerical ranges that are established as "normal" are compared with the patient's results, and the physician can diagnose blood abnormalities via a CBC.

Conditions that a CBC can help diagnose are:

  *   Anemia
  *   Hemachromatosis
  *   Polycythemia Vera
  *   Dehydration
  *   Blood loss and hemorrhaging
  *   Lupus
  *   Leukemia
  *   Inflammatory disease
  *   Poor diet
  *   Infection

The complete blood count is a standard test to evaluate many different disorders, and the results of one could alert your physician to underlying causes for your symptoms. Labs can be ordered by your PCP or your urgent care physician.