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CBC

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• Risks
• Results

Alternative Names:

Complete blood count

Normal Values:

• RBC (varies with altitude):
  • Male: 4.7 to 6.1 million cells/mcL
  • Female: 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/mcL
• WBC: 4,500 to 10,000 cells/mcL
• Hematocrit (varies with altitude):
  • Male: 40.7 to 50.3 %
  • Female: 36.1 to 44.3 %
• Hemoglobin (varies with altitude):
  • Male: 13.8 to 17.2 gm/dL
  • Female: 12.1 to 15.1 gm/dL
• MCV: 80 to 95 femtoliter
• MCH: 27 to 31 pg/cell
• MCHC: 32 to 36 gm/dL

(cells/mcL = cells per microliter; gm/dL = grams per deciliter; pg/cell = picograms per cell)

What abnormal results mean:

High numbers of RBCs may indicate:

• Low oxygen tension in the blood
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Cor pulmonale
  • Pulmonary fibrosis
• Polycythemia vera
• Dehydration (such as from severe diarrhea)
• Renal (kidney) disease with high erythropoietin production

Low numbers of RBCs may indicate:

• Blood loss
  • Anemia (various types)
  • Hemorrhage
• Bone marrow failure (for example, from radiation, toxin, fibrosis, tumor)
• Erythropoietin deficiency (secondary to renal disease )
• Hemolysis (RBC destruction)
• Leukemia
• Multiple myeloma
• Malnutrition (nutritional deficiencies of iron, folate , vitamin B12 , or vitamin B6 )

Low numbers of WBCs (leukopenia) may indicate:

• Bone marrow failure (for example, due to infection, tumor or fibrosis)
• Presence of cytotoxic substance
• Autoimmune/collagen-vascular diseases (such as lupus erythematosus )
• Disease of the liver or spleen
• Radiation exposure

High numbers of WBCs (leukocytosis) may indicate:

• Infectious diseases
• Inflammatory disease (such as rheumatoid arthritis or allergy )
• Leukemia
• Severe emotional or physical stress
• Tissue damage (SUCH AS burns)

Low hematocrit may indicate:

• Anemia (various types)
• Blood loss (hemorrhage)
• Bone marrow failure (for example, due to radiation, toxin, fibrosis, tumor)
• Hemolysis (RBC destruction) related to transfusion reaction
• Leukemia
• Malnutrition or specific nutritional deficiency
• Multiple myeloma
• Rheumatoid arthritis

High hematocrit may indicate:

• Dehydration
  • Burns
  • Diarrhea
• Polycythemia vera
• Low oxygen tension (smoking, congenital heart disease, living at high altitudes)

Low hemoglobin values may indicate:

• Anemia (various types)
• Blood loss

The test may be performed under many different conditions and in the assessment of many different diseases.

• Review Date: 9/11/2006
• Reviewed By: Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, FRCP(C), Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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