A simple test can tell you all about your health, may it be a mere fever, infection, or disease of the immune system. A Hemogram…
Why Hemogram is so frequently prescribed?
A Hemogram test also called a Complete Blood Count (CBC) test is performed on your blood sample. It is recommended when a person suffers from an infection or disease to check the increase or decrease in the number of blood components.
These Blood Components are examined!
The amount of blood components tells us about the health status of a person. As during any disease imbalance of these cells are experienced. Because the levels of these components in the blood guide us about the type of infection a person is suffering from, this test serves as a desirable tool to judge a disease and also its progress. The three most important blood constituents are:
1. White Blood Cells (WBC)
These cells fight against infectious agents and make our immune system
- Low Blood count indicates: Dietary deficiency, diseases of immune system (HIV/AIDS), sepsis (severe infection), bone marrow (spongy tissue inside bones) disorders and blood cancer.
- High blood count indicates: Allergies, bacterial or viral infection, advance stages of blood and bone marrow cancers.
2. Red blood cells (RBC)
These cells contain hemoglobin which transports oxygen throughout the body.
- Low Blood count indicates: Bleeding, destruction of RBCs, nutritional deficiency and serious kidney diseases.
- High blood count indicates: Dehydration, lung diseases and polycythemia vera (blood cancer in which too many blood cells are produced).
3. Platelets
These cells play an important role in the clotting of blood in case of injury and help to stop excessive blood loss.
- Low Blood count indicates: Viral infection, rocky mountain spotted fever, cirrhosis, autoimmune (Condition in which immune system attacks our own cells) and blood cancer.
- High blood count indicates: Hemolytic (destruction of RBCs) anemia, iron deficiency, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and cancer of lung, breast, ovary, stomach and intestine.
What can affect your Results?
A recent blood transfusion may affect the count of RBCs, WBCs, and platelets. Another factor that can disturb the test results is when a blood sample is collected from the same drip from which the patient has been injected with antibiotics or saline. Results of CBC count is different for babies, children, and adults too.
A hemogram is also suggested by physicians to monitor the effectiveness of medication during the treatment.
A simple test yet enormously informative… A Hemogram test is able to identify many illnesses…
