A full blood count counts the three kinds of cell in your blood. At The Wellness in Marylebone it costs £350, as the Core Wellness panel, with results in 24 to 48 hours and a doctor to explain the result.
A full blood count counts the three kinds of cell in your blood. Red cells and haemoglobin carry oxygen, white cells fight infection, and platelets help blood clot.
It also reports the size and haemoglobin content of the red cells, which helps a doctor tell one kind of anaemia from another.
It is one of the most common blood tests. A doctor may ask for it when you feel tired or breathless, bruise easily, keep getting infections, or as part of a general health check.
A result outside the range does not by itself give a diagnosis. It points to what to look at next.
No fasting is needed for a full blood count on its own. Drink water as normal, and tell the doctor about any medicines you take.
It is one part of one. A general health panel adds liver, kidney, cholesterol, thyroid and blood sugar to the count, which is what the Core panel does.
It is not a cancer test. Some blood cancers change the count, and an unexpected result is followed up with further tests rather than read as a diagnosis.
Choose a panel and a time for the draw in clinic. A doctor reads the result before it reaches you, and rings or writes with what it means and what to do next. Or ring 020 3951 3429.