Complete Blood Count (CBC) + ESR Test in Gurgaon

At a Glance

Profile: Complete Blood Count (CBC) + ESR. Tests: 21 parameters. Price: From 450. Fasting: Not required. Sample: Blood. Reports: 24 hours, digital. Home collection: Available across Gurgaon. Lab: NABL-accredited. This is the single most frequently ordered blood panel in medicine, and it is one of the few that needs no preparation at all. Every full body package we sell contains it, starting with the Basic Full Body Checkup (77 parameters) — so if you need several panels at once, a package costs less than booking them one by one. Booked on its own, it is the right choice when a doctor has asked for this specific panel or when you are tracking one known problem. ## The Red Cell Indices Are What Classify an Anaemia Most people think a CBC simply detects low haemoglobin. The more useful work is done by four derived values: MCV (average red cell size), MCH and MCHC (how much haemoglobin each cell carries), and RDW-CV (how variable the cells are in size). Together they sort an anaemia into microcytic, normocytic or macrocytic — small cells, normal-sized cells, or large ones. That classification narrows the cause before a single further test is ordered: small cells point towards iron deficiency or thalassemia trait, large cells towards B12 or folate deficiency. This matters here because over 50% of Indian women aged 15–49 are anaemic (NFHS-5, 2019–21), and the number alone does not tell a doctor what to do about it. ## The White Cell Differential Separates Bacterial from Viral The panel reports WBC count Total plus the proportions and absolute counts of Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils, Basophils and Others. The pattern, not the total, carries the information. A raised neutrophil count typically accompanies bacterial infection; a lymphocyte-predominant picture is more typical of a viral illness. A raised eosinophil count points towards an allergic process or a parasitic infection, both common reasons for symptoms that get treated as something else for months. Absolute counts are reported alongside percentages because a percentage shift can be misleading when the total count has also moved. ## Platelet Count Platelet Count is one of the 21 parameters and often the reason the test is ordered at all. In dengue, a falling platelet count is the key monitoring parameter, and during the post-monsoon season in Gurgaon a doctor will usually ask for serial CBCs rather than a single one. A low count also appears in some viral infections, in certain medication reactions, and in bone marrow disorders. A very low automated count is worth confirming on a slide, because clumped platelets can be miscounted — that is what the Blood Picture - Peripheral Smear Examination is for. ## ESR, and What It Cannot Tell You Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate is included here. It rises in autoimmune disease, chronic infection and some cancers, and it is a genuinely useful signal that something inflammatory is going on. It is also completely non-specific: it tells you inflammation exists, not where it is or what is causing it. A raised ESR with no symptoms is a reason for your doctor to look further, not a diagnosis. ## The Honest Limitation A CBC detects and classifies anaemia. It does not establish the cause. If your haemoglobin is low, the follow-up is Iron Studies — which separates true iron deficiency from the anaemia of chronic disease — and Blood Picture - Peripheral Smear Examination, where a pathologist describes what the cells actually look like rather than counting them. Both are available separately and both sit inside the full body packages. A normal CBC also does not rule out a blood disorder in its early stages, and it says nothing about clotting function, which is a separate set of tests. ## What Is Not Included This profile does not include ferritin or any other iron marker, Vitamin B12 or folate levels, Hb electrophoresis or HPLC for thalassemia confirmation, reticulocyte count, coagulation tests such as PT/INR or APTT, C-Reactive Protein, a peripheral smear, a bone marrow examination, or any dengue, malaria or typhoid test. Those are separate orders. ## Sources NFHS-5, 2019–21 Content last reviewed: October 2026

Fasting: Not required. Eat and drink normally. This panel can be collected at any time of day, which is why it is usually the easiest test to fit around an office schedule. Sample: One venous blood draw into an EDTA tube. All 21 parameters, including ESR, run off that single sample. Medications: Continue prescription medicines unless your doctor says otherwise. Steroids, chemotherapy and some antibiotics change white cell counts, and iron supplements started recently will affect how a borderline haemoglobin reads. Tell your doctor what you are taking. Recent illness: White cell counts and ESR both move with any ongoing infection, including a cold. If you have been unwell in the past two weeks, mention it so the result is read in context. Exercise: Strenuous activity in the hours before a draw can transiently shift white cell counts. Avoid it on the morning of the test if you can. If you are being monitored for dengue: serial counts matter more than any single reading. Keep the collection time roughly consistent between draws so the trend in Platelet Count is comparable. Home collection: Available across Gurgaon — Sector 14, 29, 38, 42, 44, 46, 49, 54, 55, 56, 57, Golf Course Road, Golf Course Extension, Sohna Road, DLF Phase 1–5, Udyog Vihar, Manesar, Palam Vihar, South City and Nirvana Country. Any collection charge is shown at booking. Reports: Digital within 24 hours, all 21 parameters with reference ranges and flagged abnormals.