Definition

Noun: A standard clinical laboratory test that measures the number and types of cells in a specific volume of blood, typically including counts of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and often measurements of hemoglobin and hematocrit. It is a fundamental tool for assessing a person's overall health and detecting a wide range of disorders.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor ordered a complete blood count to check for signs of infection.
  • A routine complete blood count revealed she was anemic.
  • The results of the complete blood count were within normal limits.

Advanced Usage

• "to run a complete blood count": to perform the laboratory analysis.
  • The lab will run a complete blood count on the sample you provided.
• "complete blood count results": the numerical and descriptive data obtained from the test.
  • Her complete blood count results showed an elevated white blood cell count.

Variants and Related Words

• CBC (n): The common abbreviation for "complete blood count".
  • Your CBC looks good.
• Blood test (n): A more general term for any laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample, which may include a CBC.
  • He went for a blood test this morning.

Synonyms

• Hemogram (n): A less common synonym for a complete blood count.
• Full blood count (FBC) (n): A term used synonymously, particularly in British English.

Related Phrases

• Differential count (n): Often part of a CBC, it is a breakdown of the percentages of the different types of white blood cells.
  • The complete blood count with differential count provides more detailed information.
• Complete blood count with differential: A specific request for the standard CBC plus the detailed white blood cell analysis.

Noun

1. counting the number of white and red blood cells and the number of platelets in 1 cubic millimeter of blood