Are WBC Counts And MCV Altered By Drinking A Night Before The Tests?

Posted on Tue, 28 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 28 Jan 2014 Answered on

Mon, 17 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : If I drank the night before my blood test would it alter my wbcx10-3 count and my mcv count. wbc was 12.1 mcv was 100 glucose was 104 I also smoke.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Rakhi Tayal (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Not affected by drinking. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for trusting us with your health concern. WBC counts and mCV are not altered by drinking a night before the tests. These reflect the long term changes in your blood picture and deficiencies. The increase in mCV can be caused by chronic alcohol intake due to folate and Vitamin B 12 deficiency. You need to find out the cause after an examination from your physician and get yourself a proper treatment. Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Rakhi Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar