Components of CBC

Test Name Increased/decreased
WBC White Blood Cell May be increased with infections, inflammation, cancer, leukemia; decreased with some medications (such as methotrexate), some autoimmune conditions, some severe infections, bone marrow failure, and congenital marrow aplasia (marrow doesn’t develop normally)
RBC Red Blood Cell Decreased with anemia; increased when too many made and with fluid loss due to diarrhea, dehydration, burns
Hgb Hemoglobin Mirrors RBC results
Hct Hematocrit Mirrors RBC results
MCV Mean Corpuscular Volume Increased with B12 and Folate deficiency; decreased with iron deficiency and thalassemia
MCH Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Mirrors MCV results
MCHC Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration May be decreased when MCV is decreased; increases limited to amount of Hgb that will fit inside a RBC
RDW RBC Distribution Width Increased RDW indicates mixed population of RBCs; immature RBCs tend to be larger
Platelet Platelet Decreased or increased with conditions that affect platelet production; decreased when greater numbers used, as with bleeding; decreased with some inherited disorders (such as Wiskott-Aldrich, Bernard-Soulier), with Systemic lupus erythematosus, pernicious anemia, hypersplenism (spleen takes too many out of circulation), leukemia, and chemotherapy
MPV Mean Platelet Volume Vary with platelet production; younger platelets are larger than older ones