What is complete blood count?

A complete blood count (CBC) is a blood test used to evaluate your overall health and detect a wide range of disorders, including anemia, infection and leukemia.

A complete blood count test measures several components and features of your blood, including:

• Red blood cells, which carry oxygen

• White blood cells, which fight infection

• Hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells

• Hematocrit, the proportion of red blood cells to the fluid component, or plasma, in your blood

• Platelets, which help with blood clotting

Abnormal increases or decreases in cell counts as revealed in a complete blood count may indicate that you have an underlying medical condition that calls for further evaluation.

Why you should book a complete blood count test

A complete blood count is a common blood test that's done for a variety of reasons:

• To review your overall health. Complete blood count is recommended as part of a routine medical examination to monitor your general health and to screen for a variety of disorders, such as anemia or leukemia.

• To diagnose a medical condition. If you're experiencing weakness, fatigue, fever, inflammation, bruising or bleeding. A complete blood count may help diagnose the cause of these signs and symptoms. If may confirm that you have an infection and other conditions.

• To monitor medical treatment. A complete blood count may be used to monitor your health if you're taking medications that may affect blood cell counts.

What is Heart Attack Risk Index Test?

It is a blood test that measures the amount of cholesterol and fat in your blood.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to the walls of your heart arteries which causes blockage in your heart. That blockage is called a heart attack.

A cholesterol test can help determine your risk of the buildup of plaques in your arteries that can lead to narrowed or blocked arteries throughout your body.

High cholesterol levels often are a significant risk factor for having a heart attack.

Why it's done

High cholesterol is silent condition with no signs or symptoms. The Heart Attack Risk Index (HARI) is done to determine whether your cholesterol is high and estimate your risk of developing heart attacks and other forms of heart disease and diseases of the blood vessels.

Heart Attack Risk Index test includes the measurement of four types of fats in your blood that can lead to heart attack:

• Total cholesterol. This is a sum of your blood's cholesterol content.

• Amount of good cholesterol. This is called the "good" cholesterol because it helps carry away bad cholesterol, thus keeping arteries open and your blood flowing more freely.

• Amount of bad cholesterol. This is called the "bad" cholesterol. Too much of it in your blood causes the buildup of fatty deposits (plaques) in your arteries, which reduces blood flow. These plaques sometimes rupture and can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

• The amount of fat in your blood. When you eat, your body converts calories it doesn't need into fat, which are stored in fat cells. High amount of fat levels are associated with several factors, including being overweight, eating too many sweets or drinking too much alcohol, smoking, being sedentary, or having diabetes with elevated blood sugar levels.

Who Should book the test?

Adults at average risk of developing coronary artery disease should have their cholesterol checked every five years, beginning at age 18.

More-frequent testing might be needed if your initial test results were abnormal or if you already have coronary artery disease, you're taking cholesterol-lowering medications, or you're at higher risk of coronary artery disease because you:

• Have a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks

• Are overweight

• Are physically inactive

• Have diabetes

• Eat an unhealthy diet

• Smoke cigarettes

• Are a man older than 45 or a woman older than 55

People with a history of heart attacks or strokes require regular cholesterol testing to monitor the effectiveness of their treatments.