Understanding Your CBC Blood Results

Understanding the different characteristics of each blood cell in your body is important, yet not many people know what each cell does. If you’re an individual who requires regular home blood tests, it’s vital to understand the meaning behind each type of cell, including mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV). To recap from our last post, we gave readers the info they needed to better understand the importance of their CBC, also known as a Complete Blood Count.

Additional types of cells found in a CBC:

• White blood cell or leukocyte count (WBC).
• WBC differential count.
• Hematocrit (Hct).
• Hemoglobin (Hbg).
• Red blood cell or erythrocyte count (RBC).
• Mean corpuscular volume (MCV).

What do the home blood test results tell you?

For individuals interested in buying the most common home blood test, a CBC lab test, it’s necessary to understand every piece of information you receive from your results. So, without further ado, here’s what each complete blood count result will review:

Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)

When you see MCHC on your results sheet, know that this number points to the average concentration of hemoglobin in a certain amount of red cells. This calculated volume is derived from the hematocrit and hemoglobin measurement. A normal range consists between 32 percent to 36 percent for both males and females.

Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW)

The red cell distribution width, or RDW is the measurement of the variability of red cell shape and size. The higher the number, the greater variation in size. For both males and females, a normal range is between 11 and 15.

Platelet Count

We’ve all heard of platelets; they’re what cause your blood to clot when healing an open wound? Well, to get more in depth about your platelet count, this number reflects the amount of platelets found in a certain volume of blood. However, it’s important to know that platelets are not complete cells; they are fragments of a part of a cell without the body of a cell or its nucleus, also known as cytoplasm. This cell is found in bone marrow, and derives from the cell megakaryocyte. In order to clot blood effectively, a normal range of platelets will vary between 150,000 to 400,000 cmm in both males and females.

Mean Platelet Volume (MPV)

The mean platelet volume that you’ll read on the results from your CBC home blood test tells you the average size of each platelet found in a certain volume of blood. On average, both males and females have a platelet volume of 9.7 to 12.8 femtoliters.

Get to know your results with Selfie Healthie!

There is a lot to learn when it comes to the results of your CBC home blood test. If you have any questions about your results, or you are having trouble understanding them, feel free to give us a call! So, have you purchased your home blood test yet? Shop with Selfie Healthie online now to know your CBC. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.