Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA)
South African Girl with PRCA Gets German Match
Our 8 year-old daughter Rachel was admitted to Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa yesterday, March 6, to prepare for her bone marrow transplant bone
Related Diseases
Bone marrow failure Bone marrow failure: A condition that occurs when the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells.
Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA)
What is Pure Red Cell Aplasia or PRCA?
There are three types of PRCA:
What is a complete blood count test (CBC)?
One important test your doctor will ask you to get is a complete blood count, or CBC for short. The CBC measures the number of each blood cell type in your blood sample. Below are the types of information the CBC measures.
- Red blood cell count (RBC) measures the actual number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. A low count is called anemia anemia: (uh-NEE-mee-uh) A condition in which there is a shortage of red blood cells in the bloodstream. This causes a low red blood cell count. Symptoms of anemia are fatigue and tiredness. .
- White blood cell count (WBC) measures the actual number of white blood cells in a given volume of blood. A low count can mean you have an increased risk of getting an infection.
- White blood cell differential (dif) looks at the types of white blood cells in your blood. There are many different types of white blood cells. Each of them protects you from different types of infections.
- Hemoglobin (Hgb) measures the amount of this oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. This level is low in people with anemia.
- Hematocrit (Hct) measures how much of a given volume of whole blood is made up of red blood cells. In healthy men, 41 percent to 50 percent of blood is red blood cells. In healthy women, 35 percent to 46 percent is red blood cells. This number is about 3 times the hemoglobin hemoglobin: A protein in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin picks up oxygen in the lungs and brings it to cells in all parts of the body. .
- Platelet count measures the number of platelets in a given volume of blood. A low count means you have an increased risk of bleeding if you get cut or injured.
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) measures the average size of red blood cells. It is high when red blood cells are larger than normal. It is low when red blood cells are smaller than normal.
|
Test |
Adult Normal Range* |
|---|---|
|
Red blood cell Red blood cell: The most numerous type of blood cell in healthy people. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that picks up oxygen in the lungs and brings it to cells in all parts of the body. Also called erythrocyte, RBC. count (varies with how high up you are in the mountains) |
Men 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter (cells/mcL) |
|
White blood cell White blood cell: Cells in the body that fight disease and infection by attacking and killing germs. There are several types of white blood cells including neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes and monocytes. Each type of cell fights a different kind of germ. Also called WBC, leukocyte. count |
4,500 to 10,000 (4.5 to 10) thousand cells/mcL |
|
Hemoglobin |
Male 13.8 to 17.2 grams/dL |
|
Hematocrit Hematocrit: (hi-MA-tuh-crit) A blood test that measures the percentage of the blood made up of red blood cells. This measurement depends on the number of red blood cells and their size. Hematocrit is part of a complete blood count. Also called HCT, packed cell volume, PCV. |
Male 40.7% - 50.3% |
|
Platelets |
150 to 450 thousand/mcL |
|
MCV (Mean corpuscular volume) |
80 to 100 femtoliter |
*Normal blood values involve a range rather than a single volume.
Note:
- cells/mcL = cells per microliter
- gm/dL = grams per deciliter
- pg/cell = picograms per cell