Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Measure the essential components of the blood. Healthcare professionals may use this test to help assess for anemia, blood disorders, inflammation, infection, and more. Read moreThis test with differential measures and evaluates the components of your blood cells, including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body. Abnormal levels can help identify conditions such as anemia, malnutrition, leukemia, and others. White blood cells are an important part of your immune system, and abnormal levels may mean your body is fighting an infection. Platelets help your blood clot normally.
The CBC provides valuable information from measurements of the type, number and size of cells in your blood. Red blood cell measurements include the number of red blood cells, or RBC count, the amounts of hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW). Measurements of while blood cells include number of cells or WBC count, as well as measures of the different kinds of white blood cells—this is what “differential” means. The CBC provides information about your neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils the number, or count, of platelets; and mean platelet volume (MPV).
How it works
It's possible to have an iron deficiency while maintaining a normal hemoglobin level despite your body being deficient in iron. However, a person with iron deficiency anemia has neither sufficient levels of hemoglobin nor iron. It's important to note that anemia can also be caused by issues other than iron imbalance, such as blood loss, inflammation, other nutrient deficiencies, and certain health conditions.