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Blood Count Tests

Also called: CBC, Complete blood count, Hematologic tests

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Summary

Your blood contains red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Blood count tests measure the number and types of cells in your blood. This helps doctors check on your overall health. The tests can also help to diagnose diseases and conditions such as anemia, infections, clotting problems, blood cancers, and immune system disorders.

Specific types include tests for:

RBC - the numbers, size, and types of RBCs in the blood
WBC - the numbers and types of WBCs in the blood
Platelets - the numbers and size of the platelets
Hemoglobin - an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen
Hematocrit - how much space red blood cells take up in your blood
Reticulocyte count - how many young red blood cells are in your blood
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) - the average size of your red blood cells

The complete blood count (CBC) includes most or all of these. The CBC is one of the most common blood tests.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

Blood Tests and Urinalysis (Blood Cancer United)
Complete Blood Count (CBC) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
What You Need to Know About Blood Testing (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

High Red Blood Cell Count (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Low White Blood Cell Count (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Overview of White Blood Cell Disorders (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
Platelet Disorders: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Blood Differential (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Blood Smear (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Hematocrit Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Hemoglobin Electrophoresis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Hemoglobin Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
MPV Blood Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Platelet Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
RDW Red Cell Distribution Width (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Red Blood Cell (RBC) Count (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Red Blood Cell (RBC) Indices (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Reticulocyte Count (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
White Blood Count (WBC) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Images

Complete blood count - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Cell Count (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Blood Cells (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Children

Complete Blood Count (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Blood differential test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Blood smear (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
CBC blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hematocrit (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Hemoglobin (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Platelet count (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
RBC count (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
RBC indices (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
WBC count (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Blood Count Tests is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

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