Tuesday, October 17, 2023

What is a CBC and Why is it Important?

Picture of trees in the fall next to a river

Photo by Dr. Haus

CBC

A CBC is a complete blood count.  This is a blood test that measures the amount of different cell types and other substances in the bloodstream.  

 

Some examples of the cell types measured in a CBC are...

Red Blood Cells

White Blood Cells

Platelets

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Why is a CBC important?

A CBC is important to get a baseline understanding of a patient's overall health.  The CBC measures important values related to the body's function.  A value in the CBC may be increased or decreased compared to normal.  This helps a medical professional narrow down what might be causing the patient's illness.

There are countless reasons why a specific value may be increased or decreased in a patient BUT we have helpful categories that allow us to narrow down what might be causing the increases and decreases in values.  Below is an oversimplification of disease but it is very useful to start thinking like a clinician.

 

An INCREASE in a cell type is due to... 

  1. Increased production (the body is inappropriately MAKING MORE of the cell type)

  2. Decreased destruction (the body is inappropriately NOT BREAKING DOWN the cell type)


A DECREASE in a cell type is due to...

  1. Decreased production (the body is inappropriately MAKING LESS of the cell type)

  2. Increased destruction (the body is inappropriately BREAKING DOWN MORE of the cell type)


Dr. Haus's Unsolicited Life Advice:  Only poke a patient twice for a blood draw; off days happen to the best of us

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