Full blood count

Question 1

What tests are included in a FBC?

Answer 1

Red blood cell count (RBC)
Haemoglobin (Hb)
Haematocrit (Hct)
Platelet count
Mean platelet volume (MPV)
Mean corpuscular cell volume (MCV)
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH)
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin conc. (MCHC)
Red cell width (RCW)
White blood cell count (WBC)
White blood cell differential

Question 2

What does haemoglobin on an FBC show?

Answer 2

amount of oxygen-carrying protein (haemoglobin) in blood

Question 3

What does haematocrit on an FBC show?

Answer 3

amount of space RBCs take up in blood (%)

Question 4

What does RBC count on an FBC show?

Answer 4

actual no. of RBCs per given volume of blood

Question 5

What does platelet count on an FBC show?

Answer 5

no. of platelets in a given volume of blood

Question 6

What does mean platelet volume (MPV) on an FBC show?

Answer 6

measures average size of platelets

Question 7

What does mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) on an FBC show?

Answer 7

amount of O2-carrying Hb in blood (specifically, in RBCs)

in each red cell

Question 8

What does mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) on an FBC show?

Answer 8

concentration of haemoglobin in RBCs

in a no. of RBCs

Question 9

What does mean corpuscular cell volume (MCV) on an FBC show?

Answer 9

measure average size of RBCs

Question 10

What does red cell width (RDW) on an FBC show?

Answer 10

calculation of variation in size of RBCs

Question 11

What does white blood cell count on an FBC show?

Answer 11

actual no. of WBC per volume of blood

Question 12

What does the WBC differential on an FBC show?

Answer 12

looks at the types of WBCs present:
neutrophils
lymphocytes
monocytes
eosinophils
basophils

Question 13

When might RBC count be raised in an FBC?

Answer 13

Too many made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)

Question 14

When might RBC count fall in an FBC?

Answer 14

Anaemia

Question 15

When might Hb fall in an FBC?

Answer 15

Anaemia

Question 16

When might Hb be raised in an FBC?

Answer 16

Too many RBCs made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)

Question 17

When might haematocrit (Hct) be raised in an FBC?

Answer 17

Too many RBCs made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)

Question 18

When might haematocrit (Hct) fall in an FBC?

Answer 18

Anaemia

Question 19

When might the platelet count be raised in an FBC?

Answer 19

After bleeding
Inflammation
Infection
Absent/under-active spleen

Question 20

When might the platelet count fall in an FBC?

Answer 20

Immune conditions (eg. ITP (immune thrombocytopenia purpura)/SLE)
Vit deficiencies
Drugs (esp. chemotherapy)
Alcoholism
Liver disease
Enlarged spleen
Bone-marrow disorders

Question 21

When might the mean platelet volume (MPV) be raised in an FBC?

Answer 21

Younger platelets are larger compared to older platelets - therefore raised in illnesses where platelets are destroyed (and remade) eg. IBD
ITP (immune thrombocytopenia purpura)
Myeloproliferative diseases
Pre-eclampsia

Question 22

When might the mean platelet volume (MPV) fall in an FBC?

Answer 22

Thrombocytopenia (eg. aplastic anaemia)

Question 23

When might the mean corpuscular haemaglobin (MCH) be raised in an FBC?

Answer 23

microcytic anaemia

Question 24

When might the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) fall in an FBC?

Answer 24

iron-deficiency
inflammatory conditions
thalassaemia

Question 25

When might the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) be raised in an FBC?

Answer 25

Spherocytosis | B12 or folic acid deficiency

Question 26

When might the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) fall in an FBC?

Answer 26

Blood loss Iron-deficiency Hypo-chromic anaemia

Question 27

When might the mean corpuscular cell volume (MCV) be raised in an FBC?

Answer 27

``` B12 and folate deficiency Liver disease under-active thyroid pregnancy alcohol excess bone marrow disorder ```

Question 28

When might the mean corpuscular cell volume (MCV) fall in an FBC?

Answer 28

iron-deficiency long-standing inflammatory disease thalassaemia

Question 29

What does a raised red blood cell width (RDW) in an FBC indicate?

Answer 29

Abnormal variation in RBC size (eg. due to B12, folate or iron-deficiency) Bone marrow disorders

Question 30

When might a WBC count be raised in an FBC?

Answer 30

Infection Inflammation Cancer Leukaemia

Question 31

When might a WBC count fall in an FBC?

Answer 31

``` medications auto-immune conditions viral or severe infections bone marrow failure enlarged spleen liver disease alcohol excess ```

Question 32

When might neutrophil levels be raised in an FBC?

Answer 32

bacterial infection

Question 33

When might lymphocyte levels be raised in an FBC?

Answer 33

viral infections chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (may also decrease in viral infections)

Question 34

When might monocyte levels be raised in an FBC?

Answer 34

TB | Bone marrow disorders

Question 35

When might eosinophil levels be raised in an FBC?

Answer 35

``` atopy drug allergies parasitic infections vasculitis Hodgkin's lymphoma bone marrow disorders ```

Question 36

When might basophil levels be raised in an FBC?

Answer 36

infections inflammatory disease bone marrow disorders