The CBC test or the complete blood count test is the most common and the most important test for diagnosis of any disease. The test gives you the basic health of your blood. The CBC test is used by the doctors to rule out any kind of infection in the body, to know the haemoglobin levels and to know the number of platelet count in the blood.

It is important as reduced haemoglobin levels will mean that you are anemic or your bone marrow is not making enough RBC. Similarly increased white blood cell count will mean that you are having some kind of infection because of which body is making more white blood cells to fight the infection. If your platelet counts go below 50,000 then you are at a risk of internal bleeding which could be life threatening. So this low cost test contains lot of information which could guide your doctor to diagnose the condition.

A complete blood count is a common blood test that is often a part of a routine checkup or even in case of seasonal illness. Complete blood counts can help detect a variety of disorders including infections, anemia, diseases of the immune system and even blood cancers.

• Abnormal levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin or hematocrit may be a sign of anemia, heart disease or low iron levels in your body.
• Low white cell count may be a sign of an autoimmune disorder, bone marrow disorder, or cancer.
• High white cell count may be a sign of an infection or a reaction to medicine.
• Low platelet count can be a signal of blood cancer, alcoholic liver disease, viral infections like HIV, Hepatitis etc.

Ideally any test should be done on advise of doctor. However, CBC is a general test that can be done on your own as well. Incase you are having fever which is not improving even after 3 days of taking anti-pyretic medicine like Paracetamol then a CBC test may be done to rule out any infection. A doctor may also prescribe the test for initial diagnosis of any infection, cancer or any kind of anemia.

The CBC test is a simple blood test with no need for fasting before the test. The blood sample can be taken by the phlebotomist at a pathology lab or at home. at Maurya Labs, Purnea the test is done on a machine called Fully Automatic 6 part Haematology Analyzer which is the first and only one in entire Seemanchal region. The sample collection takes less than a minute.

CBC test alone is not required to be done on any particular interval of time. However, a complete health checkup or a full body check up should be done regularly. It is advised that people less than 40 years of age should get the whole body check up done once a year whereas those above 40 years of age should get it done once every six months. CBC test is part of all the health packages at Maurya Labs, Purnea, Bihar.