Routine Blood Work: How to quickly understand the meaning of blood routine testing items

Routine blood tests are often the first step in a routine physical exam or screening for other diseases. A routine blood report usually contains many tests such as red blood cells, white blood cells, neutrophils, and so on. It can be very difficult for the average person without medical knowledge to understand the significance of the items contained in the report.

In order to facilitate the general public to better understand the testing items of routine blood tests, we will elaborate on the routine blood report from the clinical point of view, from three perspectives of the three major systems of routine blood tests, i.e., red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

This is a common routine blood test report, in which 20+ tests are included. However, the most important tests are white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb) count and platelet (PLT) count. This is because they reflect the condition of the three most important components of human blood - white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets, respectively.

White blood cells

Leukocytes are the body's first barrier against infections and play a major role in immunity, and changes in leukocytes indicate changes in the body's immune system. If the number of white blood cells in the body is higher than normal, it means that there may be inflammation in the body.

To determine exactly what infection is causing the inflammation, you also need to look at the white blood cell count, neutrophil ratio and lymphocyte ratio. White blood cells are divided into 5 categories: neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes.

The increase or decrease of white blood cells (WBC) is mainly influenced by neutrophils, followed by lymphocytes.

In general, bacterial infections elevate neutrophils; viral infections elevate lymphocytes; monocytes produce changes in malaria and tuberculosis infections; eosinophils are often elevated for parasitic infections; and elevated basophils are commonly seen in autoimmune diseases that attack themselves.

Each leukocyte ratio reflects the focus of the immune system's work and suggests that the immune system is strengthening a particular aspect of the immune response. Notably, when there is a tenfold or even a hundredfold fluctuation in the white blood cell count and the presence of na?ve cells in the peripheral blood smear, it is often indicative of leukemia, a condition that should be given high priority.

In addition to these pathological causes, there are also physiological causes such as satiety, emotional stress, strenuous exercise, heat or cold, female menstruation, and pregnancy and childbirth that can produce changes in white blood cells.

Red blood cells

The main function of red blood cells is to deliver oxygen to the whole body and eliminate carbon dioxide, but the function of transporting oxygen is performed by hemoglobin inside the red blood cells. The main role of hemoglobin is to bind oxygen and assist red blood cells in transporting oxygen.

The three indicators on the report card, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level and red blood cell pressure, mean the number of red blood cells, the hemoglobin content and the volume of red blood cells in the blood, respectively.

If your red blood cell count, hemoglobin level and red blood cell pressure are lower than normal, you are likely to have anemia. Anemia can cause discomfort such as weakness, dizziness and heart palpitations and panic.

If your red blood cell count, hemoglobin level or erythropoietic pressure is elevated, consider the possibility of erythrocytosis. Tumors of the hematopoietic system may also affect red blood cells, causing an increase in red blood cells and hemoglobin.

Platelets

Platelets are small pieces of cytoplasm that are shed from the cytoplasm of mature megakaryocytes in the bone marrow and are the smallest cellular component of the blood. Its function is mainly to promote hemostasis and accelerate clotting, and to maintain capillary wall integrity.

Too many or too few platelets can cause abnormal coagulation, and doctors generally analyze the cause of the disease in terms of insufficient production, excessive consumption, and increased destruction.

When there are too few platelets in the blood, it may be possible that the person is suffering from a disease of the hematopoietic system, or that the spleen is hyperactive. Elevated platelets often indicate a bone marrow disorder, or a recently removed spleen. People with abnormally high platelets may have an increased risk of blood clots. More detailed information on platelet development can be found in the "mean platelet volume", "platelet distribution width", and "large platelet ratio".

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