I had a blood test the other day and everything was normal except my lipids were a little high. However, high lipid levels are enough to be alarming.
I took this opportunity to organize my knowledge of routine blood tests. When I get the lab results later, I can make a basic judgment for myself.
Due to the fact that the reference ranges for normal values are now available on the labs, the complexity of the blood test units, and the different reference values for the different lab methods, I won't list the specific values, but just a little bit of the simplest qualitative content.
1.
Blood consists of fluid and cells.
2.
There are three main types of cells in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
3.
A routine blood test measures the amount of each type of cell in the blood.
4.
The main role of red blood cells is to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide, and their main component is hemoglobin.
A low red blood cell count is anemia.
High erythrocytes are uncommon.
5.
The role of white blood cells is to prevent infection.
High leukocytes are inflammatory.
A low white blood cell count often indicates the presence of a disease that affects blood production.
6.
There are 5 main types of leukocytes, each of which has a pathological connotation when it comes to the number of leukocytes. In general, just remember that an increase in the number of neutrophils is a bacterial infection and an increase in the number of lymphocytes is a viral infection.
7.
Platelets are responsible for blood clotting.
Decreased thrombocytosis is anemia or leukemia.
Thrombocytopenia is uncommon.