It stands for complete blood count, and it is performed regularly on the majority of patients who come to our clinic. It looks at the three blood cell lines: white cells, red cells, and platelets. White blood cells (WBC’s) are the major infection-fighting cells in the body. We look at the WBC differential which is a breakdown of which types of white blood cells are present: neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, blasts, etc. This helps us assess risk for infection or other causes for symptoms, such as allergies. Red blood cells (RBC’s) are evaluated in several different ways on the CBC. We most commonly refer to hematocrit when looking for anemia. Hematocrit is simply the percentage of whole blood which is occupied by red blood cells. There are several other numbers on the CBC related to the red blood cells that tell us the size, color, and variability in size of the these cells. Knowing this information helps point us in different directions to determine causes for low red cell counts (anemia). Last, but certainly not least, are the platelets. These are an essential part of normal blood clotting. They clump together to form plugs to stop areas that are bleeding in the body. If you have questions about CBC’s or other blood counts, please ask any of your healthcare providers. Gibberish Translator, by Beth Turney, ARNP, published in Climbing R.O.P.S., June 2005, p. 3.