Things You'll Need:
- Blood (should come naturally)
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Step 1
Your CBC should give a count of the items in the following steps. This is just an explanation of what the test actually measures, not a complete diagnostic of what values are "abnormal". To obtain the actual results of the test (including what each value means to you) please see a medical professional - or someone who doesn't mind assuming liability for reading the test...
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Step 2
The CBC is actually just a panel of common blood tests, all grouped together under one title. It is a broad screening panel, testing for disorders like anemia, infections and other diseases.
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Step 3
White blood count (WBC) is a count of the actual number of white blood cells per volume of blood. It is important to note that any increases or decreases could be significant.
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Step 4
White blood cell differential looks at the five different types of white blood cells (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils). Each one of these performs it's own defensive function for the body, guarding against infection.
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Step 5
Red Blood Cell Count (RBC Count) is a count of the amount of cells per volume of blood. If any significant increases or decreases are seen, it could be a sign of an abnormality.
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Step 6
The Hemoglobin count is a measure of the bloods oxygen-carrying protein. Hemoglobin is one of those important things, a lack of it could indicate a serious condition - like death.
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Step 7
Hemocrit is a measure of percentage of the bodies red blood cells in any given volume of whole blood. Hemocrit tests are often done before a person can donate blood.
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Step 8
Platelet count is a measure of the total platelets in any given volume of blood. You might see something called MPV (Mean Platelet Volume) - just a machine calculated measurement of your platelets average size.
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Step 9
A measure of the average size of your RBC's is called the mean corpuscular volume. This is used in conjunction with other tests to help indicate anemia or thalamassesis.
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Step 10
There are two other tests that could be on the CBC, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and red cell distribution width. Both are used as indicators to serious, but rare, conditions.
