BLOOD TEST -
Noun: An action where one or more samples of blood are taken in order to determine blood levels, illness, tissue type, blood type or abnormalities.

The test result will have a number of abbreviations on it. I will outline them here so you can understand what they are about. Percentages and numbers are measured on the white blood cells so that by multiplying the percentage by the total count we have an actual number of each type of cell.

WBC -This measures the number of white blood cells in a very small quantity of blood (a billionth of a litre). It's the White Blood Cell Count

NE - is the neutrophil count or percentage. 50-60% is normal. Numbers for these and the following measurements differ for men, women and children. Those average figures can be found in booklets given to you by the support group.

LY - is the lymphocyte count or percentage. 20-40% is normal

MO - is the monocyte count or percentage. 2-9% is normal

EO - is the eosinophil count or percentage. 1 - 4% is normal

BA - is the basophil count or percentage. 0.5 - 2% is normal

RBC - is the red blood count.

HGB - is the haemoglobin count. It is considered a considerable anaemia when the haemoglobin drops below 10 for an adult.

HCT - is the haematocrit percentage of red blood cells in the sample.

MCV - is the mean (average) corpuscular volume. This measures the average volume of red blood cells. Normal is 84 to 99 fl (a femto-litre is a quadrillionth of a litre). Don't ask me how they can measure anything so small!

MCH - is the mean corpuscular haemoglobin which is a measurement of the amount of haemoglobin in an average cell. Normal is 26 to 32 pg (a picogram is a trillionth of a gram).

MCHC - is the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration which is a measurement of the average concentration of haemoglobin in red blood cells.

RDW - is the red blood cell distribution width.

RET - is the reticulocyte number or percentage. Don't want too many immature red blood cells.

PLT - is the platelet count. A count below 50 can result in spontaneous bleeding, and below 5, patients are at risk of severe life-threatening haemorrhaging .

MPV - is the mean (average) platelet volume which is a measurement of the average volume of platelets in the sample.

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