Why does my Dr. want a CBC?!
Question: Hi everyone!
I went to the Dr. yesterday for a physical..and all was fine and dandy...at the end of the physical after my doctor examined me..he wrote me a prescription to go have blood work done..He said it wasn't urgent to get done, but he'd like to have me do it as i am 20 years old, but it was still my choice(my dr. was kind of confusing.)...he said something about how he'd hate for me to be 40 and find out i have a cholesterol problem...
my question is, why does he want me to take this?
and he said it wasn't urgent...
and he also made the cholesterol statement..but i know cbc doesn't check for that..
should i be worried??
Answers: Hi everyone!
I went to the Dr. yesterday for a physical..and all was fine and dandy...at the end of the physical after my doctor examined me..he wrote me a prescription to go have blood work done..He said it wasn't urgent to get done, but he'd like to have me do it as i am 20 years old, but it was still my choice(my dr. was kind of confusing.)...he said something about how he'd hate for me to be 40 and find out i have a cholesterol problem...
my question is, why does he want me to take this?
and he said it wasn't urgent...
and he also made the cholesterol statement..but i know cbc doesn't check for that..
should i be worried??
Usually during a physical the dr will want a CBC aka Complete Blood Count, which includes white blood cell, red blood cell hemaglobin, hematacrit, platelets and a white blood cell differential. A CBC has nothing to do with cholesterol. I would call the dr's office to find to clarify the orders. Doctor's are starting to check cholesterol levels at earlier age due to diets, family history, etc. So nothing wrong with getting a baseline level even at 20 yrs old. But mentioning cloesterol level but only ordering a CBC makes no sense. At your age a cholesterol level wouldn't be urgent unless you have a family history of high cholesterol or heart attacks at an early age.
You should not be worried. A CBC is a blood test to check your overall health. And you are right, a CBC just gives your oveall cholesterol average, but not your triglycerides, you would need a lipid profile for that.
Definitely, CBC is not related to cholesterol. For an up and about person I don't think there's a need for a CBC. Or, maybe, he wants to check if your hemoglobin is still okay, that you're not anemic. I think I'll be worried...with my doctor. If you're confused with your doctor, either check out his "orders" or get a second opinion.