Cbc how low should it go

Therefore, it is extremely important to be alert to any change in how you feel and report and discuss what you are feeling with your doctor or nurse. When to call your doctor or health care provider about low blood count:.

Call within 24 hours if you experience the following:. Your doctor or health care provider may prescribe or suggest to treat low white blood cell count:. Platelets help blood to clot. They are found in the blood flowing through the blood vessels. Platelets also line the inside of the blood vessel. When low blood platelet count is present, this layer thins and tiny drops of blood can leak through the spaces made when this layer thins, causing red dots on the skin called petechiae pa-TEE-kee-eye.

When low blood platelet count present a person is at an increased risk of bleeding. Call your doctor immediately if you have sudden, severe unexplained pain.

Things you may do to decrease your risk of bleeding if you have low blood platelet count:. Your doctor or health care provider may prescribe or suggest for low blood platelet counts:. These precautions are intended for people with absolute neutrophil count ANC less than or for people with prolonged neutropenia.

Consult your physician to discuss precautions specific to your low blood count. The basic holistic tenets of good hygiene, a well-balanced nutritious diet, stress avoidance, sufficient sleep and moderate exercise are more important than ever for a person with low white blood cell count and a recovering immune system. Any activity or practice that enhances the body's basic immune structure or does not stress it will help to prevent endogenous from within yourself and exogenous from outside yourself infections.

Immunizations :Influenza vaccine is recommended annually before the influenza season. Note: We strongly encourage you to talk with your health care professional about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information contained in this website about low blood count and other medical conditions is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute for medical advice.

For information about the 4th Angel Mentoring Program visit www. Toggle navigation. Spanish About Chemocare. Low Blood Counts. Other words you may hear: Myelosuppression - a decrease in the production of blood cells, which may lead to low blood count. Anemia - a decrease in the number of red blood cells RBC , which may lead to low red blood count.

Thrombocytopenia - a decrease in the number of platelets PLT , which may lead to low blood platelet count. Leukopenia - a decrease in the total number of white blood cells WBC , which may lead to low white blood cell count. Neutropenia - a decrease in the number of neutrophils, one type of white blood cell, which may lead to low white blood cell count. Granulocytopenia - a decrease in the number of granulocytes, the group of white blood cells that include neutrophils, basophils and eosinophils, which may lead to low white blood cell count.

What Are Low Blood Counts? Low Red Blood Cell Count Anemia, low hemoglobin, low hematocrit Red blood cells carry oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. When you have low red blood cell count you may feel: Fatigued Weak Short of breath Increase in your heart rate Dizzy or lightheaded when you change positions quickly If you suffer from low red blood cell count, you may experience: Headaches Chest Pain Pale skin Things you can do to help manage your low red blood count: Rest between activities.

Plan ahead and save your energy for the most important activities. Avoid or stop activities that make you short of breath or make your heart beat faster. Ask others for help. Eat a diet with adequate protein and vitamins. Drink plenty of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic fluids. When to call your doctor or health care provider about low blood counts: Severe weakness.

You feel dizzy or lightheaded. Your heart is beating faster. You feel short of breath or are having difficulty breathing. Call immediately if you are having chest pain.

Iron supplement. A diet high in protein. A red blood cell transfusion. Your health care team will note this range on your CBC lab results. A range is used instead of a specific number because a normal amount is different for each person.

Your health care team must carefully read CBC test results. Keep in mind that many factors, including noncancerous conditions, can lead to results that fall out of the normal range. Ask your doctor to help you understand what your results mean. Low white blood cell count. Some cancer treatments, mainly chemotherapy, may lower your body's white blood cells. Cancers that affect the blood and bone marrow can also lower the count.

These types of cancers include leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Amounts of different white blood cells. Higher-than-normal numbers of lymphocytes or monocytes can indicate the possibility of certain types of cancers. Some cancers and their treatments may cause neutropenia.

Neutropenia is when a person has low numbers of neutrophils. This increases the chance of getting a bacterial infection. At times, your doctor may lower your chemotherapy dose to lower your chance of developing neutropenia. Your doctor may also recommend medication, such as white blood cell growth factors, to increase your body's production of neutrophils, especially if you develop a fever.

Low red blood cell count. Red blood cell indices. Platelet thrombocyte count. Mean platelet volume MPV. There are many other reasons that a doctor may want this blood test, including to: Find the cause of symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, fever, bruising, or weight loss.

Check for anemia. See how much blood has been lost if there is bleeding. Diagnose polycythemia. Check for an infection. Diagnose diseases of the blood, such as leukemia. Check how the body is dealing with some types of drug or radiation treatment. Check how abnormal bleeding is affecting the blood cells and counts. Screen for high and low values before a surgery.

See if there are too many or too few of certain types of cells. This may help find other conditions. For instance, too many eosinophils may be a sign of an allergy or asthma. A blood count can give valuable information about the general state of your health. How To Prepare In general, there's nothing you have to do before this test, unless your doctor tells you to. How It Is Done A health professional uses a needle to take a blood sample, usually from the arm.

How It Feels When a blood sample is taken, you may feel nothing at all from the needle. Risks There is very little chance of having a problem from this test. Results Normal Each lab has a different range for what's normal. Blood smear results Normal: Blood cells are normal in shape, size, color, and number. High values Red blood cells RBC. Conditions that cause high RBC values include smoking, exposure to carbon monoxide, long-term lung disease, kidney disease, some cancers, certain forms of heart disease, alcohol use disorder , liver disease, a rare disorder of the bone marrow polycythemia vera , and a rare disorder of hemoglobin that binds oxygen tightly.

Conditions that affect the body's water content can also cause high RBC values. These conditions include dehydration , diarrhea or vomiting, excessive sweating, and the use of diuretics. The lack of fluid in the body makes the RBC volume look high. This is sometimes called spurious polycythemia. White blood cells WBC, leukocytes. Conditions that cause high WBC values include infection, inflammation, damage to body tissues such as a heart attack , severe physical or emotional stress such as a fever, injury, or surgery , kidney failure, lupus , tuberculosis TB , rheumatoid arthritis , malnutrition, leukemia , and diseases such as cancer.

Blood cell counts that are too high or too low could signal a wide variety of conditions. Specialized tests are needed to diagnose a specific condition. Conditions that could cause an abnormal CBC and may require additional testing include:. If your CBC shows abnormal levels, your doctor may order another blood test to confirm results. They may also order other tests to help further evaluate your condition and confirm a diagnosis.

White blood cells, or WBCs, are an important part of your immune system. They help fight infections by attacking bacteria, viruses, and germs. An eosinophil count is a type of blood test that measures the quantity of eosinophils in your body.

An eosinophil is a type of white blood cell. A blood differential test, also known as a white blood cell count differential, measures the number of different types of white blood cells in your…. The test is usually part of a complete blood count…. A hematocrit test is a measurement of the red blood cells in your blood. Learn how it's done and what the results can mean. Learn about a blood smear, including why it's done, what to expect during it, and how to interpret its results.

Testing can help assess your risk of excessive bleeding or developing…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.