What do we test for in a full blood count?


During medical check-ups, most clinics, hospitals and labs are quite thorough. These are some of the common components of red blood cell measurements you will find:


1. RBC – this stands for Red Blood Cell or erythrocyte count. This counts the number of red blood cells that you have per litre of your blood plasma.
The normal ranges are 4.3-6.2x106/microL (male), 3.8-5.5x106/microL (female) and 3.8-5.5x106/microL (infant/child).


Women tend to have a lower RBC than males because of menstruation, but this is considered normal.


2. Hb – Haemoglobin. This measures the amount of haemoglobin in your blood. As we well know, haemoglobin is the component that carries oxygen in our red blood cells. It’s what gives our blood its red colour. If you have low haemoglobin, this means you have anaemia.


The normal ranges are 13.2-16.2g/dL (male), and 12.0-15.2g/dL (female).
3. Haematocrit (Hct) – this stands for the ratio of the volume of red cells to your whole blood. It is usually 40-52% for males, and 37-46% for females.


4. MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) – this is the average volume of your red blood cell. Yes, this means their size (in a way). If you have a high MCV, this may signify a certain type of disease, such as megaloblastic anaemia, where your red blood cells are huge.


5. MCH (Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin) – the average amount of haemoglobin you have in your red blood cell. Again, another indice to signify anaemia if it’s low.


6. MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration) – the average concentration of haemoglobin in a volume of red blood cells. It should normally be 32-36%.

Platelet count – this measures the number of our platelets in a volume of our blood. Platelets look like little plates! They are not complete cells, but rather fragments of a cell called a megakaryocyte. They help in our blood clotting process as the front-liners to repair a wound.


The normal ranges are 140-450x103/microL.


Low platelets may signify certain disease like dengue fever, especially when you have the symptoms. Low RBC, WBC and platelets together may mean a viral illness, or – if severely depressed – something more sinister like acute myeloid leukaemia.