The CBC Diff blood test is used to detect abnormal or immature blood cells. In addition, it is useful for diagnosing infection, inflammation, leukemia, or immune system disorders.

Why do I need a CBC Diff blood test?

A doctor may request a CBC Diff blood test as part of a routine medical examination.
The CBC Diff blood test is usually considered part of a complete blood count (CBC) test. The CBC test is used to measure the following parameters:

• white blood cells whose task is to fight infection
• Red blood cells that carry oxygen
• Platelets that help blood clot
• Hemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells that contains oxygen
• Hematocrit, the ratio of red blood cells to plasma

Also, in cases where the CBC test results are not within the normal range, it is necessary to perform a CBC Diff blood test.

In addition, a doctor who suspects infection, inflammation, bone marrow disease, or an autoimmune deficiency will order a CBC Diff blood test.

Also read this article: What is a red blood cell (RBC) count test?

How is the CBC Diff blood test done?

The doctor measures the level of white blood cells by examining a blood sample. This test is often performed in a hospital laboratory on an outpatient basis.

The healthcare provider draws blood from the hand or arm using a small needle in the lab. No special preparation is required for this test.

The laboratory specialist pours a drop of blood from the original sample on a clean glass slide... The drop of blood is shaken a little to disperse the blood around... Then a special dye is added to the drop of blood... In this way, different types of white blood cells can be recognized in the sample.

Then the number of each type of white blood cell is counted by the laboratory specialist.

The specialist also has the chance to count the number of blood cells manually.... this way the number and size of blood cells on the slide is generally determined.. In addition, the number of blood cells can be counted automatically. In the automated method, a special machine analyzes the status of various types of blood cells using automated measuring techniques.

Automated measuring techniques use electrical, laser, or optical technologies to provide an accurate estimate of the size, shape, and number of blood cells in a sample.

A sample of studies conducted in 2013 shows that these methods are very accurate... Even the use of different automatic measuring devices does not disturb the quality and accuracy of the measurements.

If you are using corticosteroid drugs such as prednisone, cortisone, hydrocortisone at the time of the test, the recorded eosinophil, basophil and lymphocytes are associated with a decrease in accuracy.... Please inform your doctor about the use of any of these drugs before the test..

Learn more about blood tests:What are the side effects of the CBC Diff blood test?

Side effects and possible injuries from receiving blood are very unlikely and minor.... Some people feel mild pain or dizziness.

After the test, bruising, minor bleeding, infection, or a hematoma (blood clot under the skin) may occur at the puncture site.

What do the results of this test mean?

Strong physical movements and high levels of stress affect the number of white blood cells, especially neutrophils.

Some studies have shown that a vegetarian diet reduces the number of white blood cells to less than normal...while scientists do not agree on the cause of this condition.

An abnormal increase in one type of white blood cell leads to a decrease in another type.... Both abnormal results are caused by the presence of similar diseases.

Learn more: What is pdw in pediatric blood tests?

Laboratory recorded data may be subject to change. According to the information published by the American Pediatric Dental Association, the percentage of white blood cells in healthy people is as follows:

• 54 to 62% of neutrophils
• 25 to 30% of lymphocytes
• 0 to 9% monocytes
• 1 to 3% eosinophil
• 1% basophil

Learn more: What is the PLT test

An increase in the percentage of neutrophils in the blood means the presence of one of the following conditions:

• Neutrophilia: A disease related to white blood cells.... This disease is caused by infection, steroids, scars or intense exercise.
• Acute infection, especially of bacterial type
• Severe stress
• Pregnancy
• Inflammation, including inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis
• Tissue damage under impact
• Chronic leukemia

Learn more: RDW in blood test

Decreasing the percentage of blood neutrophils means the presence of one of the following diseases:

• Neutroponia: one of the diseases related to white blood cells.... This disease occurs due to the lack of neutrophil production in the bone marrow.
• Aplastic anemia: decrease in the number of white blood cells produced by the bone marrow
• Severe and extensive viral or bacterial infection
• Using chemotherapy or radiation therapy in recent times

The increase in blood lymphocyte percentage occurs for the following reasons:

• Lymphoma: one of the types of white blood cell cancer that starts from the lymph nodes.
Chronic bacterial infection
• Hepatitis
• Multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that occurs in the bone marrow
• Viral infection such as mononucleosis, mumps, measles
• lymphocytic leukemia

Also read this article: How long does it take for blood test results to be ready?

Decreasing the percentage of blood lymphocytes occurs for the following reasons:

• Bone marrow damage caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis
• Leukemia
• Very severe infection such as blood infection
• an autoimmune disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis

High percentage of blood monocytes occurs for one of the following reasons:

• Incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel diseases
• Parasitic or viral infection
• Bacterial infection in the heart
• A disease of the type of collagen vessels such as lupus, vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis
• Certain types of blood cancer

Learn more: What is hematocrit?

• Eosinophilia that occurs due to allergic disorders, parasites, tumors, or gastrointestinal diseases.
• an allergic reaction
• Skin inflammations, such as eczema or dermatitis
• Parasitic infection
• An infectious disease, including inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease

Increasing the percentage of blood basophils means the presence of one of the following conditions in the person being tested:

• Severe food allergy (food allergy)
• Inflammation
• Leukemia

What are the results after a CBC Diff blood test?

If any of the listed white blood cells are persistently elevated or decreased, the doctor will order additional tests.

Bone marrow sampling (biopsy) to determine the causes of the disease is an example of these additional tests.

After diagnosing the cause of the abnormal conditions, the doctor will discuss the disease control options with you.

One or more of these tests may be prescribed.... The purpose of this work is to determine the best future options for treatment or follow-up care.

• Eosinophil count test
• Flow cytometry determines whether an increased white blood cell count is due to leukemia or not?
• Immunophenotype determination is used to determine the best treatment method for diseases caused by abnormal numbers of blood cells.
• A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is used to measure the number of biomarkers in bone marrow or blood cells, especially cancerous blood cells.

Further investigations may also be done based on the results of the CBC Diff test and other tests.

The doctor is aware of several methods to determine the causes of the abnormal number of blood cells and their treatment... Once you identify the cause of the disease, your quality of life will definitely not stay the same, but will increase as much as possible.

Remember that if you need a blood test, you can use GCORP LLC services at home or at work instead of going to the lab.

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