Private Full Blood Count (FBC): £40, results in 24 hours

Fifteen blood-count markers from one sample, £40

The full blood count is the most-ordered blood test there is: your red cells and haemoglobin (anaemia), your white cells (infection and immunity) and your platelets (clotting), fifteen markers in all. Reviewed by a doctor, with results emailed within 24 hours. No fasting and no GP referral needed. Have your blood taken at our Kings Heath clinic in Birmingham with no blood-draw fee, at one of 100+ partner clinics across the UK, or at home.

• No referral needed
• No fasting
• Results in 24 hours
• Doctor-reviewed
• CQC-registered clinic

What a full blood count checks

A full blood count (FBC, called a CBC or complete blood count in the US) counts and measures the three kinds of cell in your blood from one small sample. The red-cell markers show whether you are anaemic and, if so, what kind; the white-cell markers show how your immune system is behaving; the platelet markers show whether your blood can clot normally.

• Haemoglobin the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells and the marker that defines anaemia. Low with iron, B12 or folate deficiency, blood loss or long-term illness; high with dehydration, smoking, lung disease or polycythaemia.
• Red Blood Count the number of red cells per litre of blood. Read with haemoglobin and haematocrit: all three fall together in most anaemias and rise together when the blood is concentrated or overproduced.
• HCT haematocrit, the share of your blood made up of red cells. High values thicken the blood; it is the marker watched in testosterone and anabolic steroid users and in polycythaemia.
• MCV mean cell volume, the average size of a red cell. Small cells (low MCV) point to iron deficiency or thalassaemia trait; large cells (high MCV) to B12 or folate deficiency, alcohol, thyroid or liver disease.
• MCH mean cell haemoglobin, the average amount of haemoglobin in each red cell. It moves with MCV and confirms whether cells are pale from iron deficiency.
• MCHC mean cell haemoglobin concentration, how densely each red cell is packed with haemoglobin. Low in iron deficiency; high in some inherited red-cell conditions and dehydration.
• RDW red cell distribution width, how much red cells vary in size. A high RDW is an early sign of iron, B12 or folate deficiency, often before the MCV changes.
• Platelets the cell fragments that form clots. Low counts cause bruising and bleeding; high counts follow infection, inflammation, iron deficiency or bleeding, and occasionally a bone-marrow condition.
• MPV mean platelet volume, the average platelet size. Large platelets are young ones, so a high MPV suggests the marrow is replacing platelets quickly.
• White Cell Count the total number of white blood cells, the immune cells. High with infection, inflammation, smoking, steroids and stress; low with viral infections, some medicines and marrow problems.
• Neutrophils the white cells that fight bacterial infection. High in bacterial infection, inflammation and after steroids; low (neutropenia) after viral infections, with some medicines, or in people of African or Middle Eastern ancestry as a harmless normal variant.
• Lymphocytes the white cells of viral immunity and antibody production. High in viral infections such as glandular fever and, when persistently high, in some blood cancers; low with stress, steroids and HIV.
• Monocytes white cells that clear debris and long-term infection. Raised in chronic infections, inflammatory conditions and recovery from illness.
• Eosinophils the white cells of allergy and parasites. High with asthma, hay fever, eczema, drug reactions and worm infections.
• Basophils the rarest white cells, involved in allergic reactions. Rarely raised; when they are, it is usually with allergy or, uncommonly, a marrow condition.

When to have one

Because it covers so much, a full blood count is the first test for most vague symptoms and the baseline of every health check. It is worth having if any of these apply:

• You feel tired all the time, breathless on stairs, dizzy, or you look pale: the classic signs of anaemia
• You have heavy periods, follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, or are pregnant or planning to be, all of which make iron and B12 deficiency more likely
• You keep getting infections, or an infection is not clearing
• You bruise easily, bleed for longer than usual, or have nosebleeds or bleeding gums
• You take a medicine that needs blood-count monitoring, such as methotrexate, azathioprine, carbimazole, clozapine or chemotherapy, or you use testosterone or anabolic steroids, which thicken the blood
• You have been told a previous count was abnormal and want it repeated, or want a baseline before surgery, a sports season or a new training programme

What happens

1. Book online and choose where to have your blood taken: the Kings Heath clinic, a partner clinic near you or a home visit. Pay once; there is nothing to pay on the day.
2. Give one small blood sample. It takes a few minutes. No fasting is needed for this test.
3. The lab counts and measures the cells on an automated analyser at a UKAS-accredited laboratory, usually the same day, with a microscope check of the blood film if anything looks unusual.
4. A doctor reviews your results and emails you a written report, usually within 24 hours, with each marker against the normal range and a comment on anything outside it.
5. If something needs following up, the report says what and why: for example ferritin, B12 and folate for an anaemia, or a repeat count in a few weeks after an infection. You can book the next test or a GP appointment online, and we write to your NHS GP with your consent.

How to prepare

• No fasting. Eat and drink normally and take your usual medicines.
• Drink normally. Dehydration concentrates the blood and pushes haemoglobin and haematocrit up.
• Avoid hard exercise for 24 hours. Intense training raises the white cell count for a day.
• Tell us about any infection, cold or vaccination in the past two weeks, as these change the white cells. If you simply want a baseline, wait until you are well.
• Bring a list of medicines and supplements. Steroids, iron, B12 and some antibiotics all affect the count.

Where to have your blood taken

The test, the laboratory and the doctor’s report are the same wherever you live. Only the blood-draw fee differs, and it is charged once per visit however many tests you add.

Want more from the same sample? Add a ferritin, liver function test or kidney and liver function and the blood is taken once, with the multi-test discount applied at checkout.

Normal ranges and what a high result means

Typical adult ranges. Every laboratory sets its own, which can differ slightly from these, and your report shows the range the lab used. Ranges differ for men and women, in pregnancy and in children, and a result just outside the range is common and is read against the whole pattern, not on its own.

A full blood count tells you that something is going on and in which cell line; the next test says why. The commonest finding is a low haemoglobin with small, pale red cells, which is nearly always iron deficiency, so the next step is ferritin. Large red cells point to B12 or folate. A high white count after a cold settles on its own; one that persists is rechecked. These are the tests we add when a result needs explaining, all bookable at the same clinic:

Questions people ask

Read more

• What Does a Full Blood Count (FBC) Actually Measure?
• Understanding Anaemia Blood Tests
• What Does a High White Blood Cell Count Mean?
• What Does a High Platelet Count Mean?
• What Does a Low MCV Mean?