//EXAMINATION OF BLOOD FOR HAEMATOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT - Manson's Tropical Diseases: Expert Consult

EXAMINATION OF BLOOD FOR HAEMATOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Haematological values are necessary in the diagnosis of infection or anaemia. The most useful criteria include:
   •    Total white cell count, differential white blood cell count, haemoglobin
   •    Haematocrit, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
   •    Platelet count
   •    Examination of the blood film picture can give much useful information even when other parameters are not available.

Method

1. Fix thin blood films in methanol and stain with Giemsa stain.
2. Examine the slide under the microscope using the oil immersion objective (×100).

Observations

Red blood cells:

   1.    Note the size: a normal erythrocyte measures 7 μm in diameter. The cell may be enlarged (macrocyte), or appear smaller (microcyte).
   2.    Note the colour; in a normal erythrocyte the haemoglobin is stained pink with a small area of pallor in the centre. An enlarged area of central pallor (hypochromia) indicates an iron deficiency.
   3.    Note the presence of any …

	•	Total white cell count, differential white blood cell count, haemoglobin
	•	Haematocrit, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
	•	Platelet count
	•	Examination of the blood film picture can give much useful information even when other parameters are not available.

	1.	Fix thin blood films in methanol and stain with Giemsa stain.
	2.	Examine the slide under the microscope using the oil immersion objective (×100).

	1.	Note the size: a normal erythrocyte measures 7 μm in diameter. The cell may be enlarged (macrocyte), or appear smaller (microcyte).
	2.	Note the colour; in a normal erythrocyte the haemoglobin is stained pink with a small area of pallor in the centre. An enlarged area of central pallor (hypochromia) indicates an iron deficiency.
	3.	Note the presence of any …