The full blood count (FBC), is one of the most commonly performed blood tests, as it can tell us so much about the status of our health. It is important for diagnosing conditions in which the number of blood cells is abnormally high or abnormally low, or the cells themselves are abnormal.
A full blood count measures the status of a number of different features of the blood, including:
- the amount of hemoglobin in the blood
- the number of red blood cells (red cell count)
- the percentage of blood cells as a proportion of the total blood volume (haematocrit or packed cell volume)
- the volume of red blood cells (mean cell volume)
- the average amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells (known as mean cell hemoglobin)
- the number of white blood cells (white cell count)
- the percentages of the different types of white blood cells (leucocyte differential count)
- the number of platelets.
Adult normal ranges
|
||
Parameter
|
Male
|
Female
|
Hemoglobin g/L
|
135 - 180
|
115 -
160
|
WBC x109/L
|
4.00 - 11.00
|
4.00 - 11.00
|
Platelets x109/L
|
150 -
400
|
150 - 400
|
MCV
fL
|
78 -
100
|
78
- 100
|
PCV
|
0.40 - 0.52
|
0.37 - 0.47
|
RBC
x1012/L
|
4.5 - 6.5
|
3.8
- 5.8
|
MCH pg
|
27.0 - 32.0
|
27.0 - 32.0
|
MCHC g/L
|
310 - 370
|
310 - 370
|
RDW
|
11.5 - 15.0
|
11.5 - 15.0
|
Neutrophils
|
2.0 -
7.5
|
2.0
- 7.5
|
Lymphocytes
|
1.0 -
4.5
|
1.0
- 4.5
|
Monocytes
|
0.2 -
0.8
|
0.2
- 0.8
|
Eosinophils
|
0.04 - 0.40
|
0.04 - 0.40
|
Basophils
|
< 0.1
|
< 0.1
|
Normal Range of adult full blood count as follows
