Complete Blood Count (CBC), or Full Blood Count (FBC) as many call it, is an umbrella term for multiple blood tests that health practitioners conduct on your blood cells. The test allows the doctors to detect any issue within your bloodstream and pick signs of any disorder, disease, or severe medical condition. It also helps them check for side effects of oral medication that you might be undertaking and adjust treatment plans based on the symptoms.
A CBC (complete blood count) test is a common blood test that measures various components of your blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
A CBC test can help diagnose a wide range of conditions, such as anemia, infection, inflammation, bleeding disorders, and leukemia.
Abnormal CBC results can indicate various conditions, such as:
- Anemia: A low RBC count, hemoglobin, or hematocrit can indicate anemia.
- Infection: An increased WBC count can indicate an infection.
- Bleeding disorders: A low platelet count can indicate a bleeding disorder.
- Cancer: An abnormal WBC count or other abnormalities in the CBC results can indicate cancer.
Several factors can affect the results of a CBC test, such as age, gender, pregnancy, medications, infections, and medical conditions.