The red blood cell indices can provide information about the cause of a person's anemia such as iron deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency, and the results of the white blood cell differential can help to diagnose viral, bacterial and parasitic infections and blood disorders like leukemia. Conditions like anemia and thrombocytopenia are defined by abnormal complete blood count results. The results are interpreted by comparing them to reference ranges, which vary with sex and age. The CBC is often carried out as part of a medical assessment and can be used to monitor health or diagnose diseases. The red blood cell indices, which indicate the average size and hemoglobin content of red blood cells, are also reported, and a white blood cell differential, which counts the different types of white blood cells, may be included. The CBC indicates the counts of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, the concentration of hemoglobin, and the hematocrit (the volume percentage of red blood cells). A CBC specimen in front of a printout displaying CBC and differential resultsĬomplete blood cell count, full blood count (FBC), full blood cell count, full blood examination (FBE), hemogram Ī complete blood count ( CBC), also known as a full blood count ( FBC), is a set of medical laboratory tests that provide information about the cells in a person's blood.
