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Blood tests > Full blood count > Flashcards

Full blood count Flashcards

1
Q

What tests are included in a FBC?

A 
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
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2
Q

What does haemoglobin on an FBC show?

A

amount of oxygen-carrying protein (haemoglobin) in blood

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3
Q

What does haematocrit on an FBC show?

A

amount of space RBCs take up in blood (%)

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4
Q

What does RBC count on an FBC show?

A

actual no. of RBCs per given volume of blood

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5
Q

What does platelet count on an FBC show?

A

no. of platelets in a given volume of blood

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6
Q

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

A

measures average size of platelets

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7
Q

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

A

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

in each red cell

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8
Q

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

A

concentration of haemoglobin in RBCs

in a no. of RBCs

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9
Q

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

A

measure average size of RBCs

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10
Q

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

A

calculation of variation in size of RBCs

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11
Q

What does white blood cell count on an FBC show?

A

actual no. of WBC per volume of blood

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12
Q

What does the WBC differential on an FBC show?

A 
looks at the types of WBCs present:
neutrophils
lymphocytes
monocytes
eosinophils
basophils
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13
Q

When might RBC count be raised in an FBC?

A 
Too many made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)
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14
Q

When might RBC count fall in an FBC?

A

Anaemia

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15
Q

When might Hb fall in an FBC?

A

Anaemia

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16
Q

When might Hb be raised in an FBC?

A 
Too many RBCs made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)
17
Q

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

A 
Too many RBCs made
Fluid loss (eg. dehydration, diarrhoea, burns)
18
Q

When might haematocrit (Hct) fall in an FBC?

19
Q

When might the platelet count be raised in an FBC?

A

After bleeding
Inflammation
Infection
Absent/under-active spleen

20
Q

When might the platelet count fall in an FBC?

A 
Immune conditions (eg. ITP (immune thrombocytopenia purpura)/SLE)
Vit deficiencies
Drugs (esp. chemotherapy)
Alcoholism
Liver disease
Enlarged spleen
Bone-marrow disorders
21
Q

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

A

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

22
Q

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

A

Thrombocytopenia (eg. aplastic anaemia)

23
Q

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

A

microcytic anaemia

24
Q

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

A

iron-deficiency
inflammatory conditions
thalassaemia

25
Q

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

A

Spherocytosis

B12 or folic acid deficiency

26
Q

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

A

Blood loss
Iron-deficiency
Hypo-chromic anaemia

27
Q

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

A 
B12 and folate deficiency
Liver disease
under-active thyroid
pregnancy
alcohol excess
bone marrow disorder
28
Q

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

A

iron-deficiency
long-standing inflammatory disease
thalassaemia

29
Q

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

A

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

30
Q

When might a WBC count be raised in an FBC?

A

Infection
Inflammation
Cancer
Leukaemia

31
Q

When might a WBC count fall in an FBC?

A 
medications
auto-immune conditions
viral or severe infections
bone marrow failure
enlarged spleen
liver disease
alcohol excess
32
Q

When might neutrophil levels be raised in an FBC?

A

bacterial infection

33
Q

When might lymphocyte levels be raised in an FBC?

A

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

34
Q

When might monocyte levels be raised in an FBC?

A

TB

Bone marrow disorders

35
Q

When might eosinophil levels be raised in an FBC?

A 
atopy
drug allergies
parasitic infections
vasculitis
Hodgkin's lymphoma
bone marrow disorders
36
Q

When might basophil levels be raised in an FBC?

A

infections
inflammatory disease
bone marrow disorders

Blood tests (2 decks)

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