How to interpret a complete blood count

1. Haemoglobin (Hb): The Oxygen Carrier

If you're tired all the time, dizzy, or look unusually pale, Hb is the first number to check.

What it is: Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your organs.

Normal range: Around 13-17 g/dL in men, 12-15 g/dL in women (slightly lower in pregnancy).

What low levels mean: Anaemia, which could be due to iron deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency, or chronic illness.

What high levels mean: Sometimes dehydration, smoking, or living at high altitudes.

2. Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and Related Indices

Your RBCs are like tiny delivery trucks, carrying oxygen around. But your report won't just say "RBCs", it'll throw fancy terms at you:

RBC Count: Tells you how many red blood cells you have.

MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume): Size of your RBCs. Too small = iron deficiency anaemia. Too big = B12/folate deficiency.

MCH/MCHC: These show how much haemoglobin your RBCs carry. Low values often mean iron deficiency.

Together, these indices help doctors figure out the type of anaemia, not just whether it exists.

3. White Blood Cells (WBCs): The Body's Defence Force

What they are: Soldiers of your immune system, fighting infections.

Normal range: 4,000-11,000 cells/uL.

High levels: Could mean an infection, inflammation, or rarely, blood cancers.

Low levels: Sometimes due to viral infections, certain medications, or bone marrow issues.

Your report may break this into differential counts: neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes. Each tells a story. For example, eosinophils go up in allergies or parasitic infections.

4. Platelets: The Clot Makers

This number matters a lot during flu season or monsoons when dengue and malaria are common.

What they are: The little discs that stop bleeding when you get cut.

Normal range: 150,000-450,000/uL.

Low platelets: Can happen in dengue, viral infections, or certain immune conditions.

High platelets: Sometimes due to inflammation, iron deficiency, or rarely, bone marrow disorders.

5. Haematocrit (HCT Or PCV): Blood Thickness

What it is: The percentage of blood made up of red blood cells.

Low levels: Anaemia.

High levels: Dehydration or conditions where the body makes too many RBCs.

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