Blood Drug Testing

Can a blood disorder usually show up in tests?

Can blood disorders usually show up in blood tests? Tests taken include Full Blood Count (with slightly elevated white cells which could be due to a virus) and blood cultures. The blood culture was taken as a precaution and have so far been negative, but full result won't be ready for another day. The Dr said the white cells were only slightly raised so he was happy to send me home. I had a full blood screen and chest x-ray that night.

Public Comments

1. it depends on the blood disorder. A CBC (Complete Blood Count) is looking at the red and white blood cells and the number within the sample. If the counts are to low or too high it could indicate a couple of things; more than likely requiring further blood work. Other blood disorders such as lupus, hypercholesteremia, etc would not show in the CBC
2. It would help if you let us know why you had the blood tests. Blood tests are used to help diagnose a wide variety of health problems. There are lots and lots of blood tests, and your doctor will usually order the ones that are most likely to be informative. A full, or complete blood count (CBC) detects the relative number of different cells in your blood, and whether any of them are abnormal. As you said, elevated white cells could be due to a virus, but they could indicate other things as well. There are five types of white blood cells that the CBC examines. These links are a good overview of the test: http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?article=3011 http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/Complete-Blood-Count-CBC?page=3 It sounds like your doctor thinks you may have an infection spreading in your blood. Blood cultures will grow bacteria or fungi. They are useful for finding the source of an infection so your doctor can prescribe the correct antibiotic. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/Blood-Culture