Contains The Complete Blood Count (CBC) and
Differential
WBC Meaning & Ranges
 White Blood Cell Count is the actual number
of white blood cells per volume of blood
 White blood cells are cells that make up the
immune system in the blood
 Normal Reference Range: 4.5 – 10  103/μL
 Optimal Range: 5.5 – 10  103/μL
Causes of High/Low WBC
 The upper end of normal means your immune
system is definitely producing enough white
blood cells to prevent infections
 High WBC levels means that there is an
infection or leukemia (cancer of the blood)
 Low WBC levels could be due to an immune
deficiency or a liver or spleen disorder
Treating High WBC
 Medications - Antibiotics, steroids,
chemotherapy for cancer
 Procedures - Leukapheresis, bone marrow
treatment for cancer
 Diet changes - Drink more water, less fat and
sugar intake, increase fiber and eat garlic and
omega-3 foods
 Supplements - Probiotics, echinacea, tea tree oil
(topically) and other herbs
Treating Low WBC
 Medications - Meloid growth factors
 Diet changes - Eat carrots, spinach, kale, garlic
 Supplements - Oleander extract, selenium,
ginseng, Siberian ginseng, Echinacea, green
tea, pau d'arco, suma root, beta glucans, aloe
vera, probiotics
RBC Meaning & Ranges
 Red blood cell count is the actual number of
red blood cells per volume of blood
 Red blood cells are the ones that carry oxygen
and remove carbon dioxide
 Normal Reference Range: male 5 – 6 
106/μL and female 4 – 5  106/μL
 Optimal Range: male 5 – 6  106/μL and
female 4 – 5  106/μL
Hemoglobin Meaning & Ranges
 Hemoglobin is the amount of oxygen-carrying
protein in the blood’s red blood cells.
 It also carries toxic carbon dioxide from your
tissues and organs back to your lungs
 This iron-containing protein makes blood red
 Normal Reference Range: male 14 – 17.5
g/dL and female 12.3 – 15.3 g/dL
 Optimal Range: male 14 – 17.5 g/dL and
female 12.3 – 15.3 g/dL
Hematocrit Meaning & Ranges
 Hematocrit measures the percentage of red
blood cells in a given volume of whole blood
 Normal Reference Range: male 40.7 –
50.3% and female 36.1 – 44.3%
 Optimal Range: male 40.7 – 50.3% and
female 36.1 – 44.3%
 The hematocrit not only depends on how many
red blood cells there are, but also how big they
are
Causes of High/Low Results
 High results can indicate dehydration,
congenital heart disease, kidney tumor,
pulmonary fibrosis or can be the result of
smoking cigarettes
 Low results can indicate anemia
Treating High Results
 Medications - Aspirin or cancer drugs like
Hydrea or Leukeran
 Procedures - Phlebotomy (bloodletting) for
high RBC
 Diet changes - Drink more water
 Supplements - Stay away from iron
 Lifestyle Changes - Quit smoking
Treating Low Results
 Medications - Procrit, Epogen, Aranesp
 Procedures - Blood transfusion, bone marrow
transplant
 Diet changes - Eat red meat, liver, greens,
beans
 Supplements - Iron, B12, B6, folic acid and
many herbs
MCV Meaning & Ranges
 Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) measures
the average size of your red blood cells
 Normal Reference Range: 80 – 100 fL
 Optimal Range: 80 – 100 fL
MCH Meaning & Ranges
 Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) is a
calculation of the average amount of oxygencarrying hemoglobin inside a red blood cell
 Normal Reference Range: 27 – 31 pg
 Optimal Range: 27 – 31 pg
Causes of High/Low MCV/MCH
 High MCV/MCH can be a result of macrocytic
anemia (likely due to vitamin deficiencies),
liver disease, hypothyroidism, myelofibrosis,
reticulocytosis
 Low MCV/MCH can be due to lead poisoning,
microcytic anemia (likely due to iron
deficiency), hemoglobinopathy (genetic
disorder resulting in abnormally-shaped
hemoglobin, unable to efficiently carry
oxygen)
Treating High MCV/MCH
 Procedures - Blood transfusion
 Diet changes - Foods high in B12 and folic
acid
 Supplements - B12
Treating Low MCV/MCH
 Medications - For lead poisoning, chelation
therapy may be used or the drug EDTA.
Extreme iron deficiency can be treated with
hemodialysis or with an IV drip.
 Diet changes - Foods high in iron
 Supplements - Iron tablets
MCHC Meaning & Ranges
 Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
(MCHC) is a calculation of the average
concentration of hemoglobin inside a red cell
 Normal Reference Range: 32 – 36 g/dL
 Optimal Range: 32 – 36 g/dL
Causes of High/Low MCHC
 Low MCHC (hypochromia) is seen in
conditions where the hemoglobin is abnormally
diluted inside the red cells, such as in iron
deficiency anemia and in thalassemia
 High MCHC (hyperchromia) is seen in
conditions where the hemoglobin is abnormally
concentrated inside the red cells, such as in
burn victims
Treating High/LowMCHC
 Supplements - For high MCHC, vitamin B12
 Supplements - For low MCHC, iron tablets
RDW Meaning & Ranges
 Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a
calculation of the variation in the size of your
red blood cells
 Normal Reference Range: 11 – 15%
 Optimal Range: 11 – 15%
Causes of High/Low RDW
 High RDW is due to pernicious anemia
(anemia due to an inability to absorb vitamin
B12 from foods and supplements)
 Low RDW indicates that your red blood cells
are all very close in size (they could all be very
large – macrocytic anemia – or all very small –
microcytic anemia)
Treating High/Low RDW
 Medications - For low RDW, iron tablets or
erythropoietin, epoetin and alfa, which
stimulate red blood cell production and for
high RDW, B12 shot
 Diet changes –For high RDW, B12 enriched
foods and for low RDW, iron rich foods
 Supplements – For high RDW, B12 and for low
RDW, B12 and iron
Platelets Meaning & Ranges
 The platelet count is the number of platelets in
a given volume of blood; these disc-shaped
cells are your body's main clotting factor,
which help form blood clots
 Normal Reference Range: 150 – 450 ×
103/μL
 Optimal Range: 240 – 400 × 103/μL
 Both increases and decreases can point to
conditions of excess bleeding or clotting
Causes of High/Low Platelets
 High platelets indicate thrombocytosis, mildly
high platelets indicate chronic infection, very
high platelets indicate myeloproliferative
disorder (abnormal growth of blood cell
elements in the bone marrow)
 Low platelets indicate thrombocytopenia,
disseminated intravascular coagulation,
hemolytic anemia, hypersplenism, idiopathic
thrombocytopenic purpura or leukemia—
mostly all due to a chronic infection
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Treating High/Low Platelets
 Medications - For high platelets, Anagrelide
(Agrylin/Xagrid) is a platelet reducing agent and
for low platelets, antibiotics for infection or
drugs for specific diseases
 Diet changes - For low platelets, avoid red
meat, dairy, alcohol
 Supplements - For high platelets, low dose
Aspirin and for low platelets, vitamin K and fish
oils
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Neutrophils Meaning &
Ranges
 Normally the most abundant type of white
blood cell in healthy adults; these are the white
blood cells that are first in line to fight infection
 Normal Reference Range: 2.5 – 7 × 103/μL
 Optimal Reference Range: 3 – 6.5 × 103/μL
Causes of High/Low
Neutrophils
 High neutrophils is called neutrophilia and is a
result of a short-term bacterial infection
 Low neutrophils is called neutropenia and is
usually caused by viral infections, radiotherapy
and chemotherapy
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Treating High/Low Neutrophils
 Medications - For high neutrophils, antibiotics
and for low neutrophils, antibiotics or
antifungals
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Lymphocytes Meaning &
Ranges
 Lymphocytes normally make up about 25% of
the total white blood cell count and have two
kinds: B cells, which produce antibodies, and T
cells, which recognize invaders and process
them for removal
 Normal Reference Range: 1 – 4.8 × 103/μL
 Optimal Range: 2.5 – 4.5 × 103/μL
Causes of High/Low
Lymphocytes
 High lymphocytes can indicate the flu, chicken
pox, tuberculosis, leukemia, mumps or rubella
 Low lymphocytes are usually a result of the
body producing lymphocytes in an abnormal
manner due to stress, malnutrition, Hodgkins
disease or an immune disorder such as AIDS
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Treating High/Low Lymphocytes
 Medications - For high lymphocytes,
antibiotics or drugs specified for illness and
for low lymphocytes, antibiotics
 Diet changes - For high lymphocytes, high
protein and for low lymphocytes, foods rich in
antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
 Supplements - For high lymphocytes,
vitamin C and zinc and for low lymphocytes,
vitamin supplements
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Monocytes Meaning &
Ranges
 Monocytes ―eat‖ bacteria and other foreign
particles to destroy them; they make up 5-10%
of the total white blood cell count.
 Normal Reference Range: 0.2 – 0.6 ×
103/μL
 Optimal Range: 0.2 – 0.6 × 103/μL
Causes of High/Low
Monocytes
 High monocytes is called monocytosis and can
be due to inflammation, stress, an autoimmune
disease or sepsis
 Low monocytes is called monocytopenia,
which is which is a form of leukopenia
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Treating High/Low Monocytes
 Medications - For high monocytes, drugs to treat
condition causing the high levels and for low
monocytes, antibiotics.
 Diet changes - For high monocytes, food rich in
antioxidants
 Supplements - For high monocytes, fish oils
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Eosinophils Meaning &
Ranges
 Eosinophils are believed to function in allergic
responses and in resisting some infections
 Normal Reference Range: 0.1 – 0.4 ×
103/μL
 Optimal Range: 0.1 – 0.3 × 103/μL
Causes of High/Low
Eosinophils
 High eosinophils indicate allergies, eczema,
asthma or an autoimmune disease
 Low eosinophils is usually due to a bacterial
infection or Cushing's disease
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Treating High/Low Eosinophils
 Medications - For high eosinophils, allergy or
asthma medications and for low eosinophils,
corticosteroids or antibody therapy to fight the
infection
 Diet changes - For high eosinophils, fruits,
nuts and antioxidant-rich foods
 Supplements - For high eosinophils,
quercetin to reduce allergies or asthma
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Basophils Meaning & Ranges
 Basophils are involved in the beginning stages
of inflammation, which is the body's reaction to
injury or irritation
 Normal Reference Range: 0.04 – 0.1 ×
103/μL
 Optimal Range: 0.04 – 0.1 × 103/μL
Causes of High/Low
Basophils
 High basophils indicate a parasitic infection
 Low basophils are hard to diagnose as basophil
levels are normally at an extremely low level
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Treating High Basophils
 Medications - Appropriate anti-parasitic
 Diet changes - Large amounts of water and
fiber
 Supplements - Probiotics, garlic, vitamin C
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Immature Granulocyte Meaning &
Ranges
 Immature granulocytes are white blood cells
that will become monocytes, eosinophils and
basophils
 Normal Reference Range: 0 – 0.1 × 103/μL
 Optimal Range: 0 – 0.1 × 103/μL
Dealing With High/Low Immature
Granulocytes
 High or low immature granulocytes indicates
the need for additional testing to determine
which type(s) of white blood cell is affected
 The cause and treatment will depend on
whether monocytes, eosinophils or basophils
are the ones affected
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