Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Test | What It Measures |
|---|---|
Hemoglobin | Amount of this oxygen-carrying protein within a volume of blood |
Hematocrit | Proportion of the total amount of blood (blood volume) made up of red blood cells (plasma makes up the rest) |
Mean cellular (or corpuscular) volume (MCV) | Average volume of a red blood cell |
Mean cellular (or corpuscular) hemoglobin (MCH) | Amount of hemoglobin per red blood cell |
Mean cellular (or corpuscular) hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) | Average concentration of hemoglobin within red blood cells |
Red blood cell (RBC) count | Number of red blood cells in a volume of blood |
Red cell distribution width | Amount of variability in the sizes of the red blood cells |
White blood cell count | Number of white blood cells in a specified volume of blood |
Differential white blood cell count | Percentages and numbers of the different types of white blood cells |
Platelet count | Number of platelets in a specified volume of blood |