Common Signs & Symptoms of Urinary Disorders

Post date February 8, 2023

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Are you aware of your Urinary System completely? Well, most of you know that our Urinary system helps release toxins and waste from our body through urine.

Instead, most people know nothing about it, along with the urinary disorders they might be facing and noticing the symptoms. Later they will be looking for the “Best Urologist in Ludhiana‘ or Kidney Hospitals to get their treatment done.

We specifically believe in “Precaution is better than cure.” Hence, we are going to talk about some of the common signs and symptoms of urinary disorders, with the help of which you can learn more about your urinary system and cure the problems linked with it.

List of Urinary Disorders Commonly Faced

Before talking about Urinary disorders, let us look at how the urinary system in our body works.

The first and most crucial section of our Urinary system is the upper urinary tract, which consists of our kidneys, which help clean blood, and all the waste collected is converted into the form of urine in the same section.

Urine then moves to the Urinary bladder through the ureters; the Urinary bladder is the storage system of urine.

Once the muscles start contracting, the urine is released from our body with the help of the last part of the lower urinary tract, which is the urethra.

If you are facing any urinary disorder, it means there is some problem in your urinary tract.

Some of the urinary disorders are as follows:

Phimosis
Kidney Stone
Urinary Bladder Stone
Balanitis
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Common Signs & Symptoms of Urinary Disorders

Let us look at some of the general symptoms & signs of Urinary disorders. If you are facing any of the mentioned-below signs, you should get in touch with a Urologist as early as possible.

If your Urine color is dark, brown, or red, this is a serious sign of an enlarged prostate or tumor.

When you face pain while passing urine, you either have a urinary tract infection (for women) or any prostate condition (for men).

If you have a consistent urge to urinate, this means there are urinary problems affecting your bladder functioning.

When your body cannot control the urinary bladder or pass urine when you cough or sneeze, you face urinary incontinence.

If you can notice a foul smell from your urine, this must be because of some medications you took or bladder inflammation.

When you are facing sharp pain in the back and side of the last rib, there is a high chance of having some problem with your urinary bladder.

Conclusion:

However, with this post, you must have a good enough idea of the most common signs and symptoms of urinary problems.

You can contact the best Kidney Hospital in Ludhiana, RG Hospital, to eliminate any urinary or kidney disorder.

Kidney Stones

Removing Kidney Stones: A Modern Method For Managing Painful Scourge

Post date January 20, 2023

What is lithotripsy?

The most common and effective treatment for kidney stones is called lithotripsy, which uses shock waves to dislodge stones from the ureter, kidney, and bladder. There is no need for an incision because the shock waves are directed at the stones from outside the body. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and ureteroscopic lithotripsy are now the two most popular and successful methods for treating urolithiasis (stone development in the bladder and urinary system) without pain.

Lithotripsy using Extracorporeal Shock Waves (ESWL)

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), the most popular kind of lithotripsy, is a less intrusive and painless way to remove kidney stones.

The Procedure Involved

The kidney stones are the goal of this technique, which employs high-frequency, electromagnetic sound waves. Larger stones are reduced in size by ultrasonic shock waves so that urine may remove them from the kidney. While there is no anesthesia used in this treatment, patients are given medications to help them manage their pain.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy Benefits

This treatment does not involve any cuts or incisions.
most efficient for treating kidney and upper ureter stones
Targeted stones range in size from 10 to 20 mm.
Low risk of infection
the hospital discharged the same day
No serious pain, only little discomfort

Holmium Laser Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy

The latest and most well-liked method when it comes to effectiveness, painlessness, and minimal invasiveness is ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy. The stones lodged in the urinary tract are broken into tiny bits using a small telescope and a Holmium laser during this operation so that they can pass through urine. The urethra, bladder, kidney, and ureteral stones are all treated with this procedure.

The Procedure Involved

The anesthesia for this procedure is spinal. A small, flexible scope is delivered into the kidney through the urinary tract without requiring an incision. 100-watt Holmium then Using a laser, the stones are broken up into minute dust-like particles that can be passed by the body through normal urination.

Your urologist will locate the stones, target them with a laser, and break them up into tiny bits. You can urine these particles out of your system or your urologist can remove them. After the stones are removed to help with urination, your doctor may implant a stent to maintain the ureter open. Ten to twelve days later, the stent will be removed.

Benefits of Ureteroscopic Lithotripsy with Holmium Laser

The most efficient treatment for kidney, bladder, and ureteral stones.
Patients don’t experience discomfort because it’s done under anesthesia.
very efficient at removing larger and numerous stones
Even hard stones can be broken into sand-like bits by it.
This procedure guarantees great success regardless of the size, location, or hardness of the stones.
Patients are released from the hospital on the same day and can resume their normal lives in two days.
There is no risk of developing Steinstrasse, a typical problem that patients sometimes experience after extracorporeal shock lithotripsy.

The best urologist in Ludhiana will analyze your problem and recommend the best approach to take. In serious instances, surgery to remove kidney stones is advised, but only by a professional surgeon. Avoid ignoring kidney stone symptoms, and if you do, get quick medical care at a reputable Kidney Hospital In Punjab.

Advanced Urology Urinary Problems

Ureteric Stricture – Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Post date June 13, 2020

Ureteric Stricture – Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & TreatmentThe urethra is a body part of both males and females which is responsible for passing out the urine from the body. It carries the urine from the bladder and throws it out of the body passing all the way through the penis.

The ureteric stricture either blocks the flow of the urine or slows it down and causes great discomfort and pain.

Common causes of Ureteric Stricture

Ureteric Stricture is a common problem in males. The reason behind it is that males have a longer urethra. Ureteric Stricture is rarely an occurrence in females and children. Ureteric Stricture can occur at any age and at any point of the urethra, from tip to the bladder. Any such structure can restrict the flow of the urine and cause a lot of problems. Some of the reasons for Ureteric Stricture are:

Any shock to the urethra
infection such as a sexually transmitted disease
damage from surgery
conditions leading to swelling

While these are the common causes, in most of the cases, there is no cause of ureteric structure is found.

In adults, however, there are additional reasons that can cause ureteric stricture, including:

injury from an accident
direct fall onto the scrotum or perineum
prostate surgery
kidney stone removal surgery
urinary catheterization
injury from other surgical tools

Common symptoms of Ureteric Stricture

Ureteric stricture has very commonly observed symptoms which include:

blood in urine or dark-colored urine
bloody semen
obstructed urine stream
spraying urine stream
pain while urinating
abdominal pain
urethral leaking
UTIs in men
swelling of the penis
loss of bladder control

How to diagnose Ureteric stricture?

When you approach RG Stones Multi-Specialty hospital with a Ureteric stricture problem, our doctors examine your body thoroughly to identify the problem. Some of the common exams that are recommended include:

physical exam
urethral imaging (X-rays or ultrasound)
urethroscopy (to see the inside of the urethra)
retrograde urethrogram

Treatment for Ureteric Stricture

Ureteric Stricture cannot be treated with medication and other treatments are used for a successful recovery. At RG Stones Multi-Specialty hospital we recommend different types of treatment for ureteric stricture depending upon the size of the stricture. We recommend the following ureteric stricture treatment:

Dilation: The doctors use special methods to stretch the stricture gradually and make way for the urine to pass.
Urethrotomy: A specialist cut the stricture with a laser or knife through a scope
Open surgery: This is the process of surgically removing the stricture with reconnection and reconstruction. The doctor may possibly use grafts (urethroplasty) for a successful surgery. Our doctors specialize in open surgery and ensure successful treatment for ureteric stricture.

We are a team of reputed and highly experienced urologists who have performed several successful ureteric stricture surgeries. We ensure a successful surgery and offer quick recovery.

Advanced Urology Prostate Diseases

What is Bladder Cancer – Symptoms & Risk Factors

Post date March 31, 2020

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers known to medical science. It is reported that men are at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than women. Although it can affect individuals of any age, older adults are at a greater risk to have bladder cancer.

The bladder is located in the lower abdomen region and is a muscular organ. The internal lining of the organ is the first site where bladder cancer starts developing. While most of the time the problem is reported in the bladder region only, cancer can also affect other parts of the urinary tract drainage system in humans.

What are the key symptoms of bladder cancer?

The common signs and symptoms of bladder cancer include:

Blood in the urine (hematuria)
Painful urination
Pelvic pai

If you are passing bloodied urine or urine that is cola coloured, you must consult your doctor at the earliest. It is not necessary that blood in urine is only because of bladder cancer as there can be any other infection or growth that can induce this condition.

Back pain and frequent urination are also common symptoms of bladder cancer.

Different types of bladder cancer?

There are three types of bladder cancer Urothelial carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, and Adenocarcinoma. The origin cells of cancer decided that type of cancer in the bladder.

Who are at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer?

Some of the key risk factors of bladder cancer include:

Smoking is one of the common reason as to when you smoke, you inhale a range of hazardous chemicals into your system.
Age is also a common risk factor as the immunity of the body decreases with age.
It is reported that white people are at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than people of other races.
Men are also more exposed to the risk of bladder cancer than women.
Exposure to dyes, rubber, leather, textiles and paint products and chemicals used in their production can also increase your chances to get bladder cancer.

It is important to seek the right help at the right time to fight bladder cancer.

Medicare

Diabetes is no longer irreversible

Post date March 18, 2020

Diabetes: Reversing the irreversible

There is nothing new in acknowledging “diabetes” as a looming health crisis despite many recent advances in medicine and technology. Apart from being a pocket pincher, it has been identified as an incurable and progressive chronic disease, requiring medicines and insulin for the rest of life. It is looked upon as a life sentence once the diagnosis is made.

To give it a little sigh, a new section has been added in the 2016 WHO global report on “Diabetes Reversal”, a promising way to save the lives of many patients caught in this unprecedented epidemic.

Basics in diabetes, an old story yet relevant-

Known by “lifestyle disease” or simply “sugar” in common parlance, diabetes is a condition characterized by chronically elevated blood sugar levels. The mechanism behind high sugar varies depending on the type of diabetes. The major chunk of the disease is made by type 2 diabetes. The main driving force is “Insulin Resistance”, which means the body has normal insulin production but cells are resistant to its actions. All this has been linked to obesity, physical inactivity, and consumption of high-calorie foods.

What is diabetes reversal?

Means achieving glucose level below the diabetic range in the absence of active pharmacologic or surgical therapy. It’s more like inducing a drug-free period of remission in the already diagnosed patients.

Methods of reversal?

Bariatric surgery has a well-documented role in diabetes reversal. The basic idea in reversibility is to target the root cause that is insulin resistance. By achieving substantial weight loss, one can reduce the fat inside body cells and make it more sensitive to insulin action. This includes an intensive phase of strict calorie restriction and the burning of fats. Everyone knows that diet and exercise are the cornerstones for the treatment of all lifestyle diseases including diabetes. But unfortunately, many of the diabetics don’t aim for reversibility at any point of treatment. Reasons being unawareness and lack of self-motivation. Successful attempts of reversibility have been observed in type 2, obese patients, and even diabetes of 6 yrs duration.

Roadmap for reversibility

Aim for significant weight reduction
Cut down calories consumption to around 700-800/day
Indulge in at least moderate-intensity exercise (2-21/2 hrs /week)
Say NO to ALL sugar
Eliminate refined carbohydrates (flour, white rice, pasta) from your diet.
Stick to whole, natural, unprocessed foods
Include high-quality proteins and fats with each meal
Choose healthy, natural, omega3 fats –nuts, avocados, almonds, flaxseed, and whole eggs
Opt for intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding i.e going empty stomach for a set amount of time in a day
Beware of illegally marketed formulations which claim to cure diabetes

It’s high time to stimulate interest in achieving remission as a treatment target at both provider and patient-level by addressing the root cause. A stern move by all of us can definitely revolutionize the way diabetes will be treated in the coming years.

Medicare

Adult immunization – Vaccinations aren’t just for kids

Post date March 13, 2020

Vaccination is the safest and most effective way of disease prevention. It is the prime mode of making an individual immune and is the success story of the 21st century. Everyone is aware of childhood immunization, however, very few know about the need for immunization as an adult. In fact, adult vaccination coverage in our country is the most ignored part of health care services.

Why immunize an adult?

Immunity from some of the childhood vaccinations can wear off with time and thus might fail to protect us in adulthood. So, revaccination in the form of booster doses is required.
Better and safer vaccines keep on adding to the armamentarium, which may not have been available when we were children.
Vaccines and their recommendations keep changing with time according to the changing pattern of the different infections. So, we need to keep ourselves updated.
Just because we are adults doesn’t mean we aren’t at risk for certain diseases. Depending on the age and other factors, adults may be more at risk than children.

Which vaccines do you need?

Vaccines are recommended for adults on the basis of age, prior vaccinations, co-existing health problems, lifestyle, occupation, and travel plans. Following is the list of few important vaccines which are recommended for all healthy, non-pregnant adults at different ages groups:

Influenza (seasonal flu) vaccine – for all adults over the age of 50 yrs annually.
Pneumococcal vaccine – for all adults age 65 years or older, as well as adults age 19 to 64 years who smoke or have diabetes or chronic heart, lung, liver, or kidney disorders.
Chickenpox vaccine – for all adults who have not had chickenpox or the vaccine previously.
Herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine – for adults age 60 years and older (whether or not they report a prior episode of shingles).
Tetanus vaccine – for all adults every 10 years, with at least one shot against whooping cough (Tdap) if not received during adolescence.
HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine – for women age 26 or younger and men age 21 and younger (HPV virus can cause cervical, anal, oral, and throat cancers).
MMR – If you have not had an MMR vaccine and have never had measles, mumps or rubella, you may need the vaccine.
The best way to decide exactly what you need and how to get fully immunized is to talk with your healthcare provider.

Protect yourself and your loved ones

Some people in our family or community e.g. Infants, elderly, people with weakened immune systems (undergoing cancer treatment) are especially vulnerable to infections, at the same time vaccines are contraindicated for them due to their age or health condition. Thus they rely on our immunity to help prevent the spread of disease to them.

Make sure you are vaccinated for the best protection!

Adult vaccination must become part of routine immunization because these vaccines alone can save millions of lives and reduce the economic burden on the world’s healthcare systems.

Minimal Invasive Surgery

Gallstones: New Insights Into An Old Story

Post date March 6, 2020

Although stones in gallbladder have been known to cause symptoms and complications for centuries, our understanding of its natural history and clinical associations continues to evolve till now. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped pouch that hangs out just under the liver. It stores a green-colored liquid known as bile, which helps in fat digestion. The liver produces approximately 500 ml to 1,000 ml of bile per day, but gallbladder concentrates it ten times and stores 30 to 50 ml of denser bile, which is best suited for fat digestion. Bile contains two important constituents, cholesterol and bilirubin. Bilirubin is a pigment formed by the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver. After meals, the gallbladder squeezes stored bile into the small intestine through a series of tubes called ducts and itself gets empty and flat.

Gallstones are a very common problem worldwide and considered to be a major affliction in modern society. They are in fact, hardened deposits of cholesterol or bilirubin or both which get supersaturated in bile whenever there is an imbalance in its composition. Thereby, there are three types of gallstones: pure cholesterol (more common in the western world), pure bilirubin/pigment stones and mixed stones. These deposits may vary in size, shape or number.

People at risk for gallstones are

Elderly
Females
Pregnant females
Obese
Diabetics
Western diet (high-fat content with more refined carbohydrates and less fiber)
Certain drugs like contraceptive pills, lipid-lowering agents
Rapid weight loss
Even diet extremely low in fats can increase gallstone risk as it leads to less usage of the gallbladder and prolonged stasis of bile, which may cause precipitation of cholesterol.

Natural history

In most cases, gallstones do not cause symptoms (silent stones) and go unnoticed unless incidentally detected on routine ultrasound. Only 10% and 20% will eventually become symptomatic within 5 years and 20 years of diagnosis respectively. The average risk of developing symptoms is 2.0-2.6% per year. Female gender, presence of multiple stones, and stones greater than 10 mm are associated with a higher risk of complications

Complications of gallstones

Gallstones usually cause symptoms when they get moved and become lodged within a duct that carries bile. It may cause inflammation/infection/rupture of gallbladder. Symptoms are abdominal pain (within an hour of eating a large meal or in the middle of the night), nausea, indigestion, or fever.
The blockage of the common bile duct may cause jaundice (cholangitis).
Inflammation of the pancreas can occur if stone happens to block the pancreatic duct (pancreatitis).
Rarely, a large gallstone can reach the intestine and cause blockage there with resultant gangrene and infection.
Gallstones, especially those larger than > 3 cm are risk factors for gallbladder cancer.

Clinical associations

Newer data suggest a broad association of gallstones with overall mortality, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal cancers, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In fact, these associations reflect the presence of shared underlying risk factors like diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance in all the above-mentioned medical problems. So, gallstone disease is now emerging as an important marker of an increased future risk for medical comorbidities which signals for early and aggressive lifestyle modifications.

Medical and surgical management

Laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder is an outpatient, minimally invasive, safe procedure with a short hospital stay. Contrary to the popular belief, removal of gall bladder does not lead to any significant digestive problems. Only about 1-2% of people can have loose or greasy stools after fatty meals, and fatty foods may take a little longer time to digest. It does not lead to any vitamin deficiencies.
Stones impacted in major ducts are also easily amenable to removal by endoscopic measures (E.R.C.P.).
Medical options for the prevention and treatment of gallstones continue to evolve as well. But drug therapies have fallen out of favor because of lower efficacy and higher recurrence rates.

Medicare

Fatty Liver: A modern day life style disease

Post date February 26, 2020

What is fatty liver disease?

The liver is the second largest, the multifunctional organ inside our body which helps in digestion, energy storage, and detoxification. A healthy liver contains little or no fat. Fatty liver is a condition in which fat builds up in the liver. There are two main types:

Alcoholic fatty liver disease: related to the consumption of large amounts of alcohol.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): related to a wide range of conditions other than alcohol. In fact, routinely used terminology fatty liver is shorthand for NAFLD.

How common is Fatty Liver disease?

It is also projected as one of the leading indications of liver transplantation in the present decade. The increasing incidence of NAFLD is tied to the growing obesity epidemic but not every obese develops fatty liver, and vice versa. Owing to rising childhood obesity, fatty liver is expected to become the leading cause of liver disease and failure, and indication for liver transplantation even in children and adolescents, within the next 10 years.

What are the risk factors for fatty liver?

Obesity
Diabetes
High blood cholesterol
High blood pressure
Family history
Drugs (steroids, anticancer drugs)
Rapid weight loss/ poor eating habits
Certain infections (hepatitis C)

What are the stages of fatty liver?

The spectrum of Fatty liver disease can be divided into 4 stages:

Stage 1 (simple fatty liver or steatosis): when fat accounts for more than 5 to 10 % of the liver’s weight without any inflammation or liver cell damage. It is one of the most common forms of reversible, harmless liver disease, with an estimated 30-40% prevalence in India. There are usually no symptoms and diagnosed incidentally.

Stage 2 (Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH): This means when the liver gets inflamed along with fat accumulation. Around 5-8% of the Indian population has NASH. NASH is a more aggressive form. A person may have a dull or aching pain in the top right of the abdomen or fatigue.

Stage 3 (Fibrosis): When the healthy liver tissue is replaced by fibrous scar tissue.

Stage 4 (cirrhosis or chronic liver disease): the most severe irreversible stage, bands of scar tissue develop, liver shrinks, becomes hard, functions less and leads to liver failure.

Apart from these, fatty liver can lead to liver cancer in a few circumstances.

How can Fatty Liver be diagnosed?

Fatty liver is often diagnosed incidentally when ultrasonography picks excessive fat content in the liver or routine blood tests show raised liver enzymes (ALT/AST) signifying ongoing inflammation in the liver. At-risk persons should get liver function tests and ultrasonography of the upper abdomen regularly.

Once the fatty liver is diagnosed, a newer technique called fibroscan/ transient elastography, which measures the liver’s stiffness, can help in the staging of fatty liver disease. Greater stiffness suggests greater scarring. A liver biopsy may be recommended if tests are inconclusive.

What are the treatment options for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?

Diet, Exercise, and Healthy Lifestyle are the first and foremost treatment options.

Gradual weight reduction (>10% of baseline) can remove some fat from the liver
Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limiting salt and sugar.
Do daily moderate-intensity exercise such as walking or cycling, at least 150 minutes a week. All types of exercise can help improve NAFLD, even if you don’t lose weight.
Use cautiously dietary supplements, vitamins, or herbal remedies as these can damage the liver.

According to the latest American and European Liver society guidelines, no specific drug therapy can be firmly recommended for NAFLD at present.

What is the long-term prognosis of fatty liver?

The progression rate of simple fatty liver to advanced disease is low, and it may go away with simple lifestyle modification. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a serious condition as few people can eventually develop stage 2 disease.

In patients diagnosed with stage 2 fatty liver disease i.e. NASH, there are about 25% chances of developing cirrhosis within a decade and of this, about 50% will develop liver failure with the survival rate of no more than two years. So here is the importance of lifestyle changes at early stages to prevent the disease from getting worse.

To summarize, fatty liver is plaguing our modern society in parallel with other common lifestyle diseases. It is not a single entity rather a sequential spectrum of stages, out of which simple fatty liver is the most common earliest reversible phase which can be taken care of by lifestyle modification and weight loss; else it can progress to liver cell damage in 10- 25 % from where there is no turning back. Hence ‘ an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ holds true for fatty liver.

Advanced Urology Infertility

Truth about male infertility

Post date February 20, 2020

Infertility problems are no longer a rare phenomenon and reports suggest that out of 10 couples, 2 are suffering from problems with conceiving. It was not very long back that infertility was considered as a female factor; however, the recent developments show that in over 20% of the total cases of infertility, the problem is with the sperm and not the egg.

We all know that it takes an egg and a sperm to meet and create a baby. The failure of any of them can cause infertility. The recent development suggests that in most of the cases, it is the male sperm that is the root cause of the problem. Here are some details that you need to know about male infertility.

What causes male infertility?

There are various factors responsible for male infertility, including physical, hormonal, genetic, or immunologic problems. It can also be a result of some long-time chronic illness or a sexual condition that hinders the natural flow and disposal of semen in the vagina.

Sperm production is widely affected by chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and more. In fact, smoking and drinking a large amount of alcohol is a leading reason for male infertility in modern times.

Semen analysis

Semen analysis is a test that is used to diagnose the male infertility condition. It is a comprehensive test that analyses a range of factors including the number of sperm, the quantity of ejaculate, percentage of moving sperm, shape of individual sperm and more. The test is focused on assessing the amount of moving and living sperm, also known as total motile count, in an ejaculate sample.

Advance testing

While semen analysis is a very efficient tool to find the possible causes of male infertility, there are other advanced tests that must be performed. In case the brain does not signal the testes to make sperm, the body will have low production. This is a condition where hormones play a significant role. The advanced tests focus on measuring these hormones and finding out the possible cause.

Treatment for male infertility

The treatment that you get for your male infertility condition depends upon the count of your sperm. From “intrauterine insemination” or “IUI” to in vitro fertilization, the doctors may recommend the best treatment option based on your condition. Often, mild infertility is treated through medication or hormone therapy. In case the reason for infertility lies with some physical condition, the doctors also suggest surgery as a possible treatment option.

Male infertility cases are at a rise and there are plenty of reasons that contribute to it. It is best to contact a doctor as soon as the problem is experienced and seek treatment instantly. Any inhibition about opening up about the condition can cause a severe problem and hinder the chances to avail the best treatment.

Medicare

Interpretation of Complete Blood Count

Post date February 13, 2020

Interpretation of cbc — Blood sample tubes for CBC testing at RG Stone Urology & Laparoscopy Hospital in Ludhiana. Accurate diagnostics for better patient care.

We all undergo a blood test sometime or another in our life. While most of us have basic knowledge about hemoglobin, hematocrit, and white blood cells (WBC), there are a number of other components of a CBC report that we do not understand. If they appear in the report, they must hold some significance.

What are the different blood components?

The two main components are plasma and cells. The cells flow freely in a liquid-like substance which is known as plasma. The cells are of different types and include erythrocytes (red blood cells or RBC), leukocytes (white blood cells or WBC), and the thrombocytes, also known as platelets.

What is analyzed in a CBC test?

CBC test measures the number of RBCs, hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocytes, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration in the blood. Additionally, platelets are also calculated in a CBC test.

Red blood cells

Commonly known as RBC, the measurement of the blood cells shows the number of erythrocytes in 1 cubic mm of whole blood. In the case of iron deficiency, blood loss, hemolysis, and bone marrow suppression the number of RBC decreases.

Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is a pigment available in RBCs and is responsible for carrying oxygen to the different parts of the body. 14-18 g/dl and 12-16 g/dl is the normal level of Haemoglobin in males and females respectively.

Haematocrit

This the measurement of cell volume as a percentage of the plasma and cell volume in the blood. Normally, the Haematocrit percentage is 3 times more than the hemoglobin count.

Reticulocyte

The new cells released by the bone marrow are known as Reticulocyte.

Indices

Indices are the measure of the average characteristics of the erythrocyte. This includes mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW).

Platelets

They are also known as thrombocytes. Platelets are also formed in the bone marrow. They can be defined as the fragments of the megakaryocyte cytoplasm and are responsible for stopping the bleeding. An individual dealing with thrombocytopenia will have a low platelet count.

White blood cells

White blood cells are smaller in size than red cells. They are also known as leukocytes. They are responsible for the response to any type of inflammatory condition or injury.

Miscellaneous content of CBC

Bands: Also known as stabs. Their presence indicates that the inflammatory process is occurring.
Eosinophils: The number of Eosinophils increases in case of allergic and inflammatory reactions and parasite infections
Basophils: They contain heparin and histamine and are active in case of allergic and stress situations.
Monocytes: They are responsible for removing injured and dead cells, microorganisms and other particles from an injured site.
Lymphocytes: These are of two types – B cells and T cells and fight virus infections.

Hope this helps you read your CBC report efficiently the next time.