Information displayed below is a subset of the entire knowledge base and may be incomplete intensionally or inadvertently. If you detect a serious error or want access to the complete knowledge base, please contact us.

Description

The clinical test reticulocytes are acquired from a patient's whole blood by a process called reticulocyte count. This test is used to measure the number of immature red blood cells (reticulocytes) in the blood. It is used to diagnose anemia, evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for anemia, and monitor bone marrow function.

The process of obtaining reticulocytes from a patient's whole blood involves centrifuging the sample to separate the red blood cells from the other components of the blood. The red blood cells are then stained with a special dye that binds to the reticulocytes. The stained cells are then counted under a microscope to determine the number of reticulocytes present.

Synonyms

• reticulocyte count
• reticulocyte index

Other Sample Sources for This Test

• bone marrow

Some Diseases Associated with an Abnormal Reticulocytes

• heart valve disorder
• secondary malignant bone or bone marrow neoplasm
• malignant pulmonary neoplasm
• malignant female breast neoplasm
• chronic liver disease
• hypothyroidism
• malignant prostate neoplasm
• iron deficiency anemia
• chronic-disease anemia
• nonmedicinal toxicity
• diffuse connective tissue disease
• chronic-renal-failure anemia

Detailed Laboratory Testing Information (use the custom search buttons below to find details on these topics)

All of the following must be considered when interpreting clinical findings and are too extensive to be covered on this site: