Hematology
8 markers in this category
Hematocrit
Your hematocrit shows which share of your blood consists of red blood cells. Dutch laboratories report it as a fraction. A result of 0.45 l/l therefore stands for 45 percent. Hematocrit is almost always measured alongside haemoglobin and the red cell count. It is a concentration measure, so your fluid balance feeds into the result. Being under-hydrated raises the value without a single extra red cell being made. One isolated hematocrit value therefore says little. The number gains meaning next to your haemoglobin, your MCV and the timing of the draw.
Hemoglobin
A hemoglobin test measures the amount of hemoglobin protein in your blood. Hemoglobin is found inside red blood cells and is responsible for binding oxygen in the lungs and delivering it throughout your body.
Leukocyte Differential
A leukocyte differential test measures the relative proportions of different types of white blood cells in your blood. It provides a detailed breakdown of your immune cell populations, offering valuable insight into your immune system's function.
Leukocytes (WBC)
Leukocytes are the white blood cells in your blood. They form the core of your defence against bacteria, viruses and fungi. The leukocyte count states how many of these cells sit in a fixed volume of blood. The number is the sum of five different cell types, each with its own task. At the laboratory that runs the test the usual adult range runs from 4.3 to 10.0 x10^9/L. Laboratories use slightly different limits from one another. Always read the reference value printed on your own result. A single measurement is not a diagnosis. The number moves with infection, exertion, stress, smoking and even the time of day you give blood.
MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin)
MCH is the average amount of haemoglobin in one red blood cell, calculated from your haemoglobin and red cell count. A low value often points to iron deficiency, a high value to a B12 or folate shortage. Learn what your MCH can mean.
MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration)
MCHC is the average concentration of haemoglobin inside your red blood cells, calculated from your haemoglobin and haematocrit. A low value fits iron deficiency; a raised value is rare and usually checked before it is acted on. Learn what your MCHC can mean.
MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume)
MCV stands for mean corpuscular volume: the average volume of one red blood cell, expressed in femtolitres. In adults an MCV between 80 and 100 fL is normal. Below 80 fL your red cells are small, which usually points to iron deficiency or to an inherited trait. Above 100 fL they are large, which fits a vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, regular alcohol use, an underactive thyroid or liver disease. MCV makes no diagnosis of its own: it indicates the direction in which to look further. And because it is an average, the value can be normal while two deficiencies exist side by side.
Platelets (Thrombocytes)
This value counts the platelets coming out of the same tube as your red and white cells. Platelets are the smallest things in your blood, and they help seal a cut. They are counted from the same tube as your red cells and your white cells. Together those three make up the full blood count. So this number is never read on its own. It only means something beside your haemoglobin, your MCV and your white cells. In adults the normal range runs from 150 to 400 ×10⁹/l, the same for men and women. Platelets live only seven to ten days. One odd reading is rarely the whole story.