Reticulocyte Count

Inform the doctor about the medications you may be taking. No other specific preparations are usually required before this test.

There is no risk associated with the test. However, since this test involves a needle prick to withdraw the blood sample, in rare cases, a patient may experience excessive bleeding, hematoma (blood collection under the skin) formation, bruising or infection at the site of needle prick.

Additional tests that may be prescribed in case of abnormal Reticulocyte Count Test result are: · Complete Blood Count (CBC) Test · Hematocrit Test · Blood Iron Tests · Vitamin B12 and Folate Tests · Glucose-6 phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Test · Erythropoietin Test · Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy

Erythropoietin or EPO is a protein that stimulates the formation of red blood cells. It is secreted by the kidneys and stimulates the production of red blood cells from the bone marrow. Normally, a low level of erythropoietin is constantly maintained in blood to stimulate production of RBCs in response to those RBCs which are lost after their completion of life cycle. However, secretion of erythropoietin is increased when there is hypoxia (deficiency of oxygen in cells) which may be caused due to lung conditions, or low amounts of RBCs because of excessive bleeding, hemolysis, etc. Rise in erythropoietin levels increase reticulocyte count, followed by rise in RBC count.