The Importance of Complete Hematology Tests for Diagnosing Diseases

A complete hematology test is a complete blood examination including: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This examination is usually included in the health examination. Aside from being part of a routine health check, doctors can usually request a complete hematology test to diagnose certain conditions such as infection or bleeding. A complete hematology test is done by taking a patient's blood sample. This is done by laboratory personnel or nurses by inserting needles in the arteries of the arms. This blood sample will then be examined and then reported as a test result. A complete hematological examination is needed to determine a person's overall health condition and detect certain health problems such as infections, leukemia, and anemia. Complete hematological tests are also often performed to monitor the patient's condition after undergoing treatment.

The Role of a Complete Hematologist

From the complete hematology test will be obtained the results of measurements of various blood components including:

• White blood cell. White blood cells that play a role in fighting infection, also in the process of allergies and inflammation. In a complete hematology test, the doctor can evaluate the number and count the type of white blood cells.
• Red blood cells. Its function is to carry oxygen throughout the body. The components of the red blood cell that are examined in a complete hematology test include:
• Hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells.
• Hematocrit, which is the percentage of the number of red blood cells in the blood volume. Low hematocrit levels can indicate the lack of iron in the body that is actually needed to produce red blood cells. While high hematocrit levels can indicate that you are dehydrated or other conditions.
• MCV (mean corpuscular volume), which is the calculation of the average size of red blood cells. MCV values ​​that are too high can indicate a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folate in the blood. Conversely, if it is too low, it can indicate that the patient has one type of anemia.
• MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin), which is the calculation of the average amount of hemoglobin in red blood cells.
• MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) is a calculation of how dense the hemoglobin molecule is in red blood cells.
• RDW (red cell distribution width) is a calculation to see variations in the size of red blood cells.
• Platelet. Also called platelets are blood cells that play a role in the process of blood clotting. In a complete hematology test, the doctor will assess the amount, average size, and uniformity of platelet size in the blood.

In general, a low red blood cell count may indicate that you are experiencing certain conditions such as anemia. Broadly speaking, below are the important roles of complete hematology tests for health:

• Evaluate overall health. The possibility of disease can be detected from an increase or decrease in blood cell levels seen in the test results.
• Diagnose the causes of health problems, especially if the patient experiences certain symptoms such as fever, fatigue, weakness, swelling, bleeding.
• Monitor the development of the health of patients who have been diagnosed with a disease that affects blood cell levels.
• Monitor disease management, especially those that affect blood cell levels and require regular hematological testing.

The complete hematology test results can be seen from two columns, one is the reference range, which is the normal examination value, and the other column is the result of your complete hematology examination. If your results are lower or higher than the reference range, then these results can be called abnormal. However, reference range numbers can be different because each laboratory has different tools and ways to analyze blood samples. In addition, normal blood cell levels also depend on gender and age. A complete hematologic examination is not an absolute examination in establishing a diagnosis. After the results of a complete hematology test are obtained, the doctor may suggest additional examinations to determine the diagnosis of the disease.