Bicytopenia Explained: A Laboratory Medicine Specialist’s Guide to Causes, Interpretation & Clinical Evaluation Written by a Board-Certified Laboratory Medicine Specialist, MD.PhD. Introduction As a Laboratory Medicine Specialist, I frequently review complete blood count (CBC) results that show a reduction in two of the three major blood cell lines — a pattern clinicians refer to as…
Why IGRA Tests Return Indeterminate Results — and What to Do About It: A Specialist’s Guide to QFT-Plus, AdvanSure, and T-SPOT.TB Introduction This article is written by a Laboratory Medicine Specialist (MD.PhD.) with extensive clinical experience in infectious disease diagnostics and TB screening programs. The Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) has become the cornerstone of…
Low Hemoglobin, No Symptoms? A Specialist Explains Why Hb Levels and Anemia Symptoms Don’t Always Match Hematology, Laboratory Medicine, April 13, 2026 As a Laboratory Medicine Specialist, one of the most common questions I receive is: “How can a patient with a hemoglobin of 4 g/dL still be walking and talking?” The short answer is…
HbA1c Testing & Hemoglobin Variants: A Laboratory Specialist’s Complete Guide to Accurate Interpretation Why your glycated hemoglobin result may be misleading — and what to do about it. Laboratory Medicine Specialist, MD.phD. HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) is the gold-standard test for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes, reflecting average blood glucose over the past 2–3 months. However, genetic…
Clots in Blood Specimens: Why They Form and How They Compromise Your Lab Results By a Laboratory Medicine Specialist, MD.phD. Clot formation in blood specimens is a more common pre-analytical error than many clinicians realize. Even a microscopic partial clot can cause significant false decreases in WBC and platelet counts, spuriously prolonged PT/aPTT, and a…
What Does an Increased Number of Macrophages in Synovial Fluid Mean? A Clinically Focused Review Synovial fluid analysis obtained through arthrocentesis is one of the most valuable tools in differentiating the causes of arthritis.While neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages are normally present in varying proportions, a notable increase in macrophages can carry specific clinical implications. This…
CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia) Complete Guide: PBS Findings, Clinical Features, Diagnosis, and Prognosis Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults and is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of mature B lymphocytes. These cells gradually accumulate in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and lymphoid tissues, leading to progressive immune dysfunction. 1️⃣ Key…
CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia) Explained: Stages, PBS Findings, Symptoms, and Prognosis Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm in which immature myeloid cells proliferate abnormally in the bone marrow.One of its most defining features is the Philadelphia chromosome (t(9;22)(q34;q11)), found in the majority of patients. This genetic abnormality plays a pivotal role in diagnosis,…
How Hemolysis Affects Blood Test Results: A Laboratory Medicine Specialist’s Complete Guide Written by a Laboratory Medicine Specialist (MD.phD.) Introduction As a Laboratory Medicine Specialist, one of the most common calls I make to clinical teams is: “We need a repeat draw — the specimen is hemolyzed.” Hemolysis, the rupture of red blood cells (RBCs)…
EDTA-Dependent Pseudothrombocytopenia: What It Is and Why It Matters Key Takeaway: EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP) is a laboratory artifact — not a true platelet disorder — caused by platelet clumping in EDTA-anticoagulated blood tubes, leading to falsely low platelet counts that can be misinterpreted as clinically significant thrombocytopenia. What Is Pseudothrombocytopenia? When a routine complete blood…
