Blood work:
A complete guide for monitoring HIV

May 2007     View PDF     En español

Complete blood count (CBC)

The CBC is the most common blood test that doctors order. It checks levels of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Generally, even people without symptoms of HIV disease should have a CBC test done at least every 6–12 months. People whose blood work trends are changing may want to have their CBCs done every three months, or more often. People with symptoms of HIV disease should have a CBC every 3–6 months.

CBC testing is done more often in people with symptoms of low red blood cells (anemia), low white blood cells (leukopenia) and low platelets (thrombocytopenia). In each case, if a change occurs that worries you or your doctor, the tests should be done again a few weeks later. Of the tests explained in this publication, the most important ones are the red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet counts.