• What is a complete blood count?

  A complete blood count, or CBC, is a blood test that measures many different parts and features of your blood, including:

  • Red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
  • White blood cells, which fight infections and other diseases. There are five major types of white blood cells. A CBC test measures the total number of white cells in your blood. A different test called a CBC with differential measures the number of each type of these white blood cells.
  • Platelets, which stop bleeding by helping your blood to clot.
  • 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 of your blood is made up of red blood cells.
  • Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a measure of the average size of your red blood cells.

  Other names for a complete blood count: CBC, full blood count, blood cell count

• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a complete blood count?
• What happens during a complete blood count?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about a complete blood count?
• References

• RBC count reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  (10⁶)/μL

  3.9

  5.5

  Your result is Normal.

  Red blood cells (RBC) are made in the bone marrow and contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to the tissues in the body. RBCs make up approximately 44% of the total blood volume.
• What is a red blood cell (RBC) count?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a red blood cell count?
• What happens during a red blood cell count?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for this test?
• Are there any risks to this test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about an RBC count?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• WBC count reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  4500

  11000

  Your result is Normal.

  Normally, people produce about 100 billion white blood cells (WBCs) a day. The total white blood cell count normally ranges between 4,500 and 11,000 WBCs per microliter.
• What is a white blood count (WBC)?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a white blood count?
• What happens during a white blood count?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about a white blood count?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• Platelet count reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  (10³)/μL

  50

  150

  450

  Your result is Normal.

  A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. Platelets are tiny blood cells that are made in the bone marrow from larger cells. When you are injured, platelets stick together to form a plug to seal your wound. This plug is called a blood clot.
• What is a platelet count test?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a platelet count test?
• What happens during a platelet count test?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• Hemoglobin reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  g/dL

  13.8

  17.2

  Your result is Normal.

  Heme, an iron-containing molecule, combines with globin proteins to form hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells from the lungs to the rest of the body.
• What is a hemoglobin test?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a hemoglobin test?
• What happens during a hemoglobin test?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about a hemoglobin test?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• Hematocrit reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  %

  40.7

  50.3

  Your result is Normal.

  Normal hematocrit levels vary based on age and race. In adults, normal levels for men range from 41%-50%. For women, the normal range is slightly lower: 36%-44%.
• What is a hematocrit test?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a hematocrit test?
• What happens during a hematocrit test?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about a hematocrit test?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• MCV reference range

  Use the slider below to see how your results affect your health.

  fL

  76

  96

  Your result is Normal.

  A normal MCV indicates that the red blood cells are normal average size, or normocytic. Normal results vary based on the laboratory and the method used.
• What is an MCV blood test?
• What is it used for?
• Why do I need an MCV blood test?
• What happens during an MCV blood test?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about an MCV blood test?
• References

Normal reference ranges can vary depending on the laboratory and the method used for testing. You must use the range supplied by the laboratory that performed your test to evaluate whether your results are "within normal limits."

• What is a blood smear?

  A blood smear is a sample of blood that's spread on a glass slide which is treated with a special stain. In the past, all blood smears were examined under a microscope by laboratory professionals. Now automated digital systems may be used to help examine blood smears.

  The purpose of examining a blood smear is to check the size, shape, and number of three types of blood cells:

  • Red blood cells, which carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body
  • White blood cells, which fight infection
  • Platelets, which help your blood to clot

  Other names: peripheral smear, peripheral blood film, smear, blood film, manual differential, differential slide, blood cell morphology, blood smear analysis

• What is it used for?
• Why do I need a blood smear?
• What happens during a blood smear?
• Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?
• Are there any risks to the test?
• What do the results mean?
• Is there anything else I need to know about a blood smear?
• References