A Full Blood Count (FBC test), also known as a Complete Blood Count (CBC) blood test, is a common blood test that provides an overview of the general health of your blood. As a result, it is often used as a general health screening test to assess overall health and diagnose a variety of conditions including anaemia, and the immune system.
The FBC blood test at Elmi Laboratories includes the following measurements:
- Haemoglobin (Hb), which measures the amount of oxygen-carrying protein in our red blood cells. Haemoglobin is a key indicator of our blood’s ability to transport oxygen.
- Haematocrit (Hct) also known as packed cell volume (PCV): haematocrit blood test measures the percentage of red blood cells in our body and relates to haemoglobin levels. Haematocrit helps assess our blood viscosity.
- Red Blood Cells (RBC): Our haematology analysers (in Elmi Laboratories) measure the number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. Red blood cells are vital for transporting oxygen in our body.
- White Blood Cells (WBC): In wbc, we measure the number of white blood cells in our blood. The white blood cells play a crucial role in our immune system and help our body fight infections. A very high white cell count can be due to infection or leukaemia. However, further blood tests including blood films and in some cases, bone marrow biopsies are required to identify if a person has a leukaemia. At Elmi Laboratories, we have experts including haematology consultant who trained in this field.
- Platelets: Platelets are small cell fragments that are involved in blood clotting. The measurement of platelets helps clinicians assess our body’s ability to form clots.
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV): This indicates the average size of our red blood cells and provides an understandings of different types of anaemia.
- Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH): The MCV measures the average amount of haemoglobin per red blood cell and is related to MCV.
- Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC): The MCHC measures the concentration of haemoglobin in a given volume of our red blood cells.
- Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW): The RDW measures and differentiates the variation in size of our red blood cells. The RDW test differentiates different types of anaemia.
The FBC blood test provides valuable evidence and statistics about various health conditions including, anaemia, infections, inflammation, and bleeding disorders. Please note FBC blood tests reference ranges varies based on your age, and gender. Clinicians interpret FBC results in the context of overall health, other blood test findings, and medical history. Elmi Laboratories is that when you have concerns or questions about any of your results, please speak to a doctor or qualified person to interpret the results for you, and do not accept what you find on the internet only. Please note, this is not medical advice. Medical advice is only given by qualified personal e.g., GP.