HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR LAB TESTS

Janice Price, M.Ed, RNSwedish Medical Center HIV

Research Program

TESTS

• CBC: Complete Blood Count

• Serum Chemistries

• Liver Function/ Amylase

• Lipids: Blood Fats

• Immune System: CD4 & Viral Load

CBC: Complete Blood Count

• Red Blood Cells: RBC

• White Blood Cells:WBC

• Platelets: Plts

• Serum/Plasma

Blood Cell Types

Bone Marrow

• All Blood Cells made in bone marrow.

• Bone Marrow is the spongy centers of bones sometimes seen in cuts of meat

Stem Cells

• Stem cells are young cells

• All blood cells start as stem cells

• They get “drafted” as RBCs, WBCs or platelets depending on the body’s needs

Red Blood Cells

• Called erythrocytes

• “cytes” = cells

• Shaped like bagel with hole covered over

• Filled with hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body.

Utah State University

White Blood Cells

• WBCs are disease fighters

• Some make antibodies and some fight invaders directly

• Divided into categories depending on function and what they look like.

Types of White Cells

• Lymphocytes: B and T cells. Agranulocytes

• Granulocytes: polymorphonucleocoytes mostly neutrophils (55-80%), also basophils and eosonophils

• Monocytes: mature into macrophages (big eaters)

A macrophage attacking a bacteria with a cellular extension called a pseudopod

Abbreviations

• RBC = Red Blood Cell

• WBC = White Blood Cell

• HCT = Hematocrit

• Hbg = Hemoglobin

• ANC = Absolute Neutrophil Count

CBC

TESTS OF IMMUNE FUNCTION

A human cell infected with a rhinovirus ruptures, relasing millions of new viruses

A human T-helper cell is under attack by HIV virus

Viral Load Tests

• PCR: Most common. Usually expressed has HIV-1 PCR in copies per milliliter. Roche Amplicor

• bDNA: values are different. Usually ½ of PCR value

• NASBA: nucleic acid sequence based amplification. Values are also different

UNDETECTABLE VIRAL LOAD DOES NOT MEAN NO

VIRUS PRESENT

Remember: there are other places for virus to hide

Viral Load Expressed as Log

10 x = viral load

Genotype/Phenotype

Blood Types