The hemogram test, also known as the Complete Blood Count (CBC), is one of the most popular tests when it comes to detecting any abnormalities in blood or infection in the body. It requires medical professionals to take a sample of your blood and perform a set of tests on it to figure out the status of your health.
However, it is understandable if one gets scared before taking the hemogram test. Hence, in this article, we will be covering the importance of this test, the procedure, and the expected results (and what they mean) to clear all doubts about the hemogram test.
Everything you need to know before taking a Hemogram test
Whether your family doctor asked you to get a hemogram test done or it is a part of your annual medical checkup, it is important to understand a few prerequisites in the first place.
The hemogram test is not that complex and does not require one to prepare specifically beforehand. However, one needs to keep a few things in mind, which are as follows:
Medicines
Long-term intake of certain medicines may result in faulty or non-precise results of the test. Hence, make sure that you are not taking any diuretics, antibiotics, steroids, and so on before taking the Hemogram test. You can ask your doctor for more details regarding this subject if the medicines are vital.
Pregnancy
When women are pregnant, it is difficult to predict an accurate Hemogram test result. Hence, the doctor should be notified that the person is pregnant beforehand.
Physical Blunders
Certain allergies might influence your Hemogram test results. Hence, if you possess any it is best to let your doctor know about it beforehand.
Apart from allergies, high triglyceride levels and stress are also significant physical blunders that affect the test results. You should also notify the doctor in case you smoke a lot or exercise vigorously a lot.
The procedure of the Hemogram test
The hemogram test is a very simple blood test. Here is a step-by-step guide as to how a physician will go about doing the test for you:
- Step 1: The medical professional will clean your upper arm. It is to maintain hygiene while blood is drawn from your body.
- Step 2: an elastic band will be put on your arm by this professional. This is to ensure that there is enough blood pressure for easy detection of the vein.
- Step 3: Using a syringe, the professional will extract a small amount of blood from your arm.
- Step 4: The professional will take off the band from your arm and put the blood sample in a container to be sent for a test.
Hemogram Test Results
Now that we are clear on the importance and procedure of the hemogram test, it is time to move on to the result. Here are the various categories in which the blood sample will be assessed and the normal values that you should be expecting:
- Haematocrit of Packed Cell Volume: between 36% to 46%
- Haemoglobin: 14-17.5 g/dl in men and 12-15 g/dl in women
- Red Blood Cells Count: 4.5 – 5.9 x 106 in men and 4.5 – 5.1 x 106 in women
- Mean Cell Volume: between 80 to 96 µm
- Mean Cell Hemoglobin: between 27 to 33 pg
- Mean Cell Hemoglobin Concentration: between 33 to 36 %
- Red Blood Cells Distribution Width: between 39 to 46 fL
- Platelet Count: between 150 to 450 X 103 / µL
- Platelet Distribution Width: between 8.3 to 25 fL
- Mean Platelet Volume: between 8.6 to 15.5 fL
- Platelet Large Cell Ratio: between 11.9 to 66.9 %
- White Blood Cell Count: between 4,5 to 11 x 109 /L
- Monocyte: about 4%
- Neutrophil: about 56%
- Lymphocyte: about 34%
- Eosinophils: about 2.7%
- Monocyte Absolute Count: between 0 – 800 /1800 – 7800 /µL
- Neutrophil Absolute Count: between 1800 to 7800 /µL
- Lymphocyte Absolute Count: between 1000 to 4800 /µL
- Eosinophils Absolute Count: between 0 to 450 /µL
- Basophils Absolute Count: between 0 to 200 /µL
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate: between 0 to 20 mm/hr
- RBC Distribution Width-Coefficient of Variation: between 11.6 to 15%
Conclusion
The hemogram test is not very difficult to get done with, but it should never be neglected or postponed for too long either. We must be aware of any infections or abnormalities in our blood, and the only way to do so is to get a routine check-up done once in a while.
It is especially important for elderly people who are more prone to such infections. The cost of getting this test done varies depending on the area that you live in. Hopefully, this article will provide you with everything that you need to know about the hemogram test, its procedure, results, and other relevant aspects.
