Sometimes, the CBC can help determine the underlying cause of an anemia or infection. Drugs that affect the bone marrow change the CBC. Certain types of cancers, especially leukemia, may be evident on a blood smear. Blood parasites and some microorganisms are found by careful inspection of the blood cells during the CBC. In some cases, the results of the CBC will prompt your veterinarian to recommend other diagnostic tests.

WBC is an abbreviation for white blood cell count. These cells help fight infection and respond when an area of the body becomes inflamed. Elevated white blood cell counts indicate infection, inflammation and some forms of cancer or leukemia. Low white blood cells counts can indicate viral infections, bone marrow abnormalities or overwhelming infections and sepsis in blood poisoning. In this situation, the white blood cells are concentrated in the area of infection and are not circulating in the blood, resulting in a low count.

RBC is an abbreviation for red blood cell count. These cells are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Oxygen is used as fuel for the body and is very important. High red blood cell numbers usually indicate dehydration but can also indicate uncommon diseases that cause an excess production of red blood cells from the bone marrow. Low red blood cell counts are referred to as anemia and can be a result of blood loss, active bleeding, bone marrow disease or excessive red blood cell breakdown that is seen in some immune diseases and toxin ingestion.

HGB is an abbreviation for hemoglobin. This molecule is responsible for binding and releasing oxygen onto the red blood cells. Without hemoglobin, oxygen cannot be transported. High levels of hemoglobin usually indicate high red blood cell counts and dehydration. Low levels indicate anemia, bleeding or iron deficiency.

HCT is an abbreviation for hematocrit. The hematocrit is a calculated percentage of red blood cells in the circulation. It gives similar information to the red blood cell count but the value is expressed as a percentage. The other part of the blood is serum, containing enzymes, proteins, electrolytes, etc. High hematocrits indicate dehydration or rare bone marrow disorders resulting in increased red blood cell production. Low hematocrits indicate anemia, bone marrow disorders, blood loss, active bleeding or excessive red blood destruction due to toxins or immune disorders.

MCV is an abbreviation for mean corpuscular volume. This is the average size of the red blood cells. A high MCV usually indicated certain vitamin deficiencies. A low MCV indicated iron deficiency.

MCH is an abbreviation for mean corpuscular hemoglobin. This is the average weight of hemoglobin in each red blood cell and is different than hemoglobin circulating in the blood. A high MCH indicates poorly oxygenated blood. A low MCH indicates iron deficiency.

MCHC is an abbreviation for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. This is the average percentage of hemoglobin in each red blood cell. A high MCHC indicates that there is too much hemoglobin in the red blood cell, indicating a high iron level since an important component of hemoglobin is iron. Iron excess is just as damaging to the body as iron deficiency. A low MCHC indicates anemia.

PLT is an abbreviation for platelets. The platelets are responsible for sealing any leaks in the blood vessels. When platelet counts are low, spontaneous bleeding can occur. High platelet counts usually indicate a disorder of the bone marrow or an overwhelming response to an immune blood disease. Low platelet counts indicate bleeding or excessive destruction of platelets caused by parasites or immune diseases.

A differential is an analysis of the different types of white blood cells. There are five types of white blood cells and the distribution of these cells can help determine an underlying cause of illness.

Segs is an abbreviation for segmental neutrophils. These are the primary white blood cells responsible for fighting infections. High levels of neutrophils indicate infection. Low levels can indicate sepsis. The neutrophils are concentrated in the area of infection or are rapidly being used, leaving less circulating in the blood.

Lymphs is an abbreviation for lymphocytes. These white blood cells are also responsible for fighting infection and also develop antibodies to protect the body against future attacks. High levels of lymphocytes can indicate infection, viral disease or certain cancers such as lymphosarcoma. Low levels can indicate viral infections affecting the bone marrow or sepsis.

Mono is an abbreviation for monocytes. This white blood cell helps the neutrophils fight infections. High monocyte counts indicate infection. It is unlikely that there will be no monocytes and a differential with zero monocytes does not indicate any specific ailment.
Eos is an abbreviation for eosinophil. This white blood cell is primarily involved in fighting allergies or parasites. High eosinophil counts indicate an allergy or parasite causing illness. Low levels are not possible since zero eosinophils are possible in normal blood samples.
Baso is an abbreviation for basophils. This white blood cell is not very common but can be seen in certain parasitic infection, primarily heartworm. High levels indicate possible parasitism. Low levels are not possible since zero basophils are possible in normal blood samples.

The complete blood count provides a wealth of information if you know how to read and interpret the results. For further explanation or interpretation of your pets CBC, consult your veterinarian. The veterinarian should know and explain to the owner of the pets the interpretations on the complete blood count result. This laboratory examination is very important to asses your pets medical health.

A darkfield microscope is simply a standard laboratory microscope, to which certain optical techniques are utilized to transform how light comes through the specimen being viewed. For example, let’s say we are viewing live blood on a glass specimen slide. The normal mode of a microscope is called brightfield. In this mode of viewing, light shines straight through the specimen. When light shines straight through a specimen, transparent objects are invisible. It is as if you were standing to the side of a sunny window gazing through dust. If there was a white wall between you and the dust, you would never see the dust because it is transparent when trying to be seen against the white wall. However, if you put a black curtain where the white wall is, all of a sudden the dust pops into view. The darkfield microscope does the same thing. The specimen sits over a dark background or field, and light is angled onto the specimen from the sides. Things that were once invisible now come into view.

Using the phase contrast microscope is another way to view live blood for nutritional work. With this lighting technique, the light coming through the specimen is altered so that a portion of the light is shifted slightly out of phase with the original. The light now strikes the specimen and lights up invisible particles while also giving shades of gray. This is an excellent way of viewing blood for nutritional screening.

The microscope as we use it is not a diagnostic tool, but a powerful window to view the dynamic micro life processes going on in one of the most important of body fluids.

There are techniques that you need to know and understand in blood analysis. When we view blood for nutritional counseling, we can use three primary techniques. The first two techniques view blood in its live, unchanged state. First we are looking at the overall terrain or environment of the blood with knowledge of the pleomorphic theories of disease as related to pH utilizing the researches. Second we can view blood from the more allopathic or nutritional perspective. In either case we are looking at what is normal and what is not. This gives us insights to nutritional metabolic conditions. A third test we can perform is a dry layer test. Here we take a series of blood drops and let them dry on a specimen slide. The reason for this is that the coagulation cascade of the blood gets thrown off when the body degenerates through oxidative stress, mycotoxicoses, or disease. This test can be very revealing, and it can give direction into what further tests to be performed.

Understanding body and blood pH is absolutely essential to understanding what goes on in the blood. You cannot have a blood class without thoroughly learning pH concepts unless you desire to learn only half the story. pH or potential hydrogen controls everything that happens in the body; enzyme function, vitamin and mineral assimilation, electricity flow, parasitic formation. Metabolic body balancing and blood work cannot be done without an understanding of pH.

Blood tests also include a check of the amount of folate, vitamin B 12 and vitamin C in your blood. Folate and vitamin B-12 levels are measured at the same time because these deficiencies often coexist.

When blood tests reveal a vitamin deficiency, your doctor may perform other tests to determine the type and cause. Diagnosing vitamin B-12 deficiency in particular may involve more tests, such as antibodies test. Your doctor may draw a sample of your blood to check for antibodies to intrinsic factor. In the majority of cases, vitamin B 12 deficiency is due to a lack of intrinsic factor, which is a protein secreted by the stomach necessary for the absorption of vitamin B 12. The presence of antibodies to intrinsic factor indicates pernicious anemia, methylmalonic acid test. You may undergo a blood and urine test to measure the presence of a substance called methylmalonic acid. The level of this substance is higher in people with vitamin B 12 deficiency, Schilling test. In this test, you first ingest a tiny amount of radioactive vitamin B 12. Then your blood is checked to see if your body absorbed the vitamin B 12. After that, you ingest a combination of radioactive vitamin B 12 and intrinsic factor. If the radioactive B 12 is absorbed only when taken with intrinsic factor, it confirms you lack your own intrinsic factor. If your body doesn’t absorb vitamin B 12 with or without intrinsic factor, you likely have a more general absorption problem.

To diagnose vitamin deficiency anemias, your doctor may also take a sample of your bone marrow. Using a needle, your doctor removes a sample of bone marrow from your hipbone. The sample is examined under a microscope to rule out other blood disorders with similar signs and symptoms.

Being deficient in vitamins increases your risk of many health problems like birth defects. Lack of folate in pregnant women can lead to birth defects of the brain and spinal cord. During pregnancy, the fetus needs supplemental folic acid to make healthy blood and nerve cells, nervous system disorders. While vitamin B 12 is important for the production of red blood cells, it’s also important for a healthy nervous system. Untreated, vitamin B 12 deficiency can lead to neurological problems, such as persistent tingling in your hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy. It can lead to mental confusion and forgetfulness, because vitamin B 12 is also necessary for healthy brain function. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause these and other health problems before it leads to anemia and scurvy. Vitamin C deficiency can lead to scurvy. Signs and symptoms of this rare disease include bleeding under the skin and around the gums.

Treatment for vitamin deficiency anemia is with supplements and changes in diet like in folate deficiency anemia. Treatment involves eating a healthy diet and taking folic acid supplements as prescribed by your doctor. In most cases, folic acid supplements are taken orally. It usually takes a month or longer to correct folate deficiency anemia. If you’re someone who cannot absorb folate easily, you may need to take folic acid supplements for life. In vitamin B 12 deficiency anemia or pernicious anemia, you can treat vitamin B 12 deficiency related to a poor diet with changes in your diet along with vitamin B 12 supplementation, under doctors supervision. If your body cannot absorb vitamin B 12, you will either need lifelong vitamin B 12 injections or nasal B 12 spray. At first you will need vitamin B-12 shots or nasal spray daily. Eventually, you need injections or the nasal spray just once a month. Prompt treatment is important because neurological complications may become permanent if the B12 deficiency isn’t corrected within several months. In vitamin C deficiency anemia, treatment for this rare anemia is with vitamin C tablets. Take them as directed by your doctor. Additionally, increase your intake of foods and beverages that contain vitamin C.

A CBC test usually includes White blood cell or WBC, leukocyte count. White blood cells protect the body against infection. If an infection develops, white blood cells attack and destroy the bacteria, virus, or other organism causing it. White blood cells are bigger than red blood cells and normally fewer in number. When a person has a bacterial infection, the number of white cells can increase dramatically. The number of white blood cells is sometimes used to identify an infection or monitor the body’s response to cancer treatment, White blood cell types or WBC differential. The major types of white blood cells are neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. Immature neutrophils, called band neutrophils, are also included and counted as part of this test.

Each type of cell plays a different role in protecting the body. The numbers of each one of these types of white blood cells give important information about the immune system. An increase or decrease in the numbers of the different types of white blood cells can help identify infection, an allergic or toxic reaction to certain medications or chemicals, and many conditions, such as leukemia. In Red blood cell or RBC count, red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. They also carry carbon dioxide back to the lungs so it can be exhaled. If the RBC count is low, as seen in anemia, the body may not be getting the oxygen it needs. If the count is too high like in a condition called polycythemia vera, there is a risk that the red blood cells will clump together and block tiny blood vessels or the capillaries.

Another one is the Hematocrit or HCT, packed cell volume, PCV. This test measures the amount of space or volume of red blood cells occupy in the blood. The value is given as a percentage of red blood cells in a volume of blood. Hemoglobin or Hgb. Hemoglobin is the major substance in red blood cells. It carries oxygen and gives the blood cell its red color. The hemoglobin test measures the amount of hemoglobin in blood and is a good indication of the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body.

There are Red blood cell indices. There are three red blood cell indices: mean corpuscular volume or MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin or MCH, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration or MCHC. They are measured by a machine and their values are determined from other measurements noted during a CBC. The MCV shows the size of the red blood cells. The MCH value is the amount of hemoglobin in an average red blood cell. The MCHC measures the concentration of hemoglobin in an average red blood cell. These numbers help in the diagnosis of different types of anemia. Red cell distribution width can also be measured which indicates different sizes of red blood cells are present.

Platelets or thrombocytes, are the smallest type of blood cell. They play a major role in blood clotting. When bleeding occurs, the platelets swell, clump together, and form a sticky plug that helps stop the bleeding. If there are too few platelets, uncontrolled bleeding may be a problem. If there are too many platelets, there is a risk of a blood clot forming in a blood vessel. Also, platelets may be involved in hardening of the arteries in atherosclerosis. Blood smear is also done. In this test, a drop of blood is spread or smeared on a slide and stained with a special dye. The slide is then examined under a microscope. The number, size, and shape of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are recorded. Blood cells with unusual shapes or sizes can help diagnose many blood diseases, such as leukemia, malaria, or sickle cell anemia.

People who have the disease usually receive the diagnosis as infants. The disease causes red blood cells to change from healthy, round red blood cells to sickly and crescent shaped ones. The disorder causes anemia and pain, among other problems. Sickle cell anemia is one form of sickle cell disease – a category of blood disorders caused by defective hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a substance in all red blood cells that enables them to carry oxygen from your lungs, through your bloodstream, to all parts of your body.

Sickle cell anemia affects mainly blacks, though people of South American, Southern European or Middle Eastern descent also are at risk. A baby born with sickle cell anemia inherits a gene for the disorder from each parent. Some people inherit only one gene for the disease. This is referred to as having the sickle cell trait. People who have the sickle cell trait don’t develop the disease, but they can pass the gene on to their children. Almost 10 percent of black Americans carry the sickle cell gene.

There is no cure for sickle cell anemia, although gene therapy may someday provide the answer. However, treatments can relieve your symptoms and prolong your life. With proper treatment, many people with sickle cell anemia lead productive lives and enjoy reasonably good health into their 40s and beyond.

Signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia vary from person to person. People with the sickle cell trait ordinarily have no symptoms or problems. Some people have mild symptoms. Other people have severe symptoms and need frequent hospitalization.
Signs and symptoms of the disease include Anemia. In this state, your blood is low on red blood cells. Sickle cells are fragile. They break apart easily and die, leaving you chronically short on red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues. Without enough red blood cells in circulation, your body cannot get the oxygen it needs to feel energized. That is why anemia causes fatigue. There are also episodes of pain. Periodic episodes of pain, called crises, are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Pain develops when sickle shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels. Usually blood vessels in your chest, abdomen and joints are affected. Pain also occurs sometimes in bones. The pain may vary in intensity and can last for a few hours to a few weeks. Some people experience only a few episodes of pain. Others experience a dozen or more crises a year. If a crisis is severe enough, you may need hospitalization for painkillers to be injected into your veins or intravenously.

There is also Hand foot syndrome. Swollen hands and feet are often the first signs of sickle cell anemia in babies. The swelling is caused by sickle shaped red blood cells blood flow out of the hands and feet. The condition hand foot syndrome is often accompanied by pain and fever.

There is jaundice. Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin and eyes that occurs because of liver damage or dysfunction. Occasionally, people who have sickle cell anemia have some degree of jaundice because the liver, which filters harmful substances from the blood, is overwhelmed by the rapid breakdown of red blood cells. In people with dark skin, jaundice is visible mostly as yellowing of the eyes.

There is a possibility of frequent infections. Sickle cell anemia may make you more vulnerable to infections. The risk of infection increases because sickle cells damage your spleen, an organ that filters out germs from your blood and makes certain proteins like antibodies that counteract foreign substances in your body. Doctors commonly give infants and children with sickle cell anemia antibiotics to prevent potentially life threatening infections, such as pneumonia.

There is stunted growth. Red blood cells provide your body with the oxygen and nutrients you need for growth. A shortage of healthy red blood cells in sickle cell anemia can slow growth in infants and children and delay puberty in teenagers. Another possible symptom is vision problems. Some people with sickle cell anemia experience vision problems. Tiny blood vessels that feed your eyes may become plugged with sickle cells. This can damage the retina, where the portion of each eye that processes visual images.

Because your doctor has ordered cancer blood tests or other laboratory tests to look for signs of cancer doesn’t mean that a cancer diagnosis has been made and you have cancer. Find out what your doctor might be looking for when cancer blood tests are done. Your doctor may order cancer blood tests or other types of laboratory tests after conducting a physical exam. The signs and symptoms you report may give your doctor clues about what could be wrong. Tests to analyze your blood, urine or body tissues to be examined under the microscope, may give your doctor further information about your condition.

Blood and urine samples are analyzed in a lab. If the doctor finds cancer cells, too many or too few cells of a particular type, or abnormal types of cells, or if any of various other substances are detected, it may indicate cancer. For example, if you have leukemia, a blood cancer, whose cancerous white blood cells, can be seen under a microscope. A common blood test called complete blood count or CBC, which measures the amount of various types of blood cells in a sample of your blood. CBC may give your doctor an idea of what’s causing your signs and symptoms.

Blood and urine samples may also be tested for various substances, called tumor markers, which may indicate cancer. Tumor markers are typically chemicals made by tumor cells, but tumor makers are also produced by some normal cells in your body.

For instance, prostate-specific antigen or PSA, which is a tumor marker sometimes used to screen men for prostate cancer, though this is somewhat controversial. Any man who hasn’t had his prostate removed has a detectable level of PSA in his blood. An abnormally elevated PSA level may prompt your doctor to recommend further testing for prostate cancer. Another tumor marker is cancer antigen 125 or CA 125, which may be elevated in women with ovarian cancer, though levels can be elevated in people with other types of cancer and with many benign conditions. A high CA 125 result may prompt your doctor to recommend further testing to determine the cause.

Test results must be interpreted carefully because several factors can influence test outcomes, such as variations in your own body or even what you eat. In addition, it’s important to remember that non cancerous conditions can sometimes cause abnormal test results. And, in other cases, cancer may be present even though the blood test results are normal.

Your doctor usually uses your test results to determine whether your levels fall within a normal range. Or your doctor may compare your results with those from past tests.
Though blood and urine tests can help give your doctor clues, other tests are usually necessary to make the diagnosis. For most forms of cancer, a biopsy for instance, is a procedure to obtain a sample of suspicious cells for testing, which is usually necessary to make a definitive diagnosis.

In some cases, tumor marker levels are monitored over time. Your doctor may schedule follow-up testing in a few months. Cancer blood markers are most helpful after your cancer diagnosis. Your doctor may use these tests to determine whether your cancer is responding to treatment or whether your cancer is growing.

Discuss your test results with your doctor. Ask your doctor what your results say about your health and what the next steps should be.