Understanding Blood Tests: Types, Names, and Their Significance

Introduction

Blood testing is the lab analysis of the blood found in your body. Blood testing is usually prescribed if you need to keep track of the progress of a specific treatment, manage health conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes, illness, or routine checkup. Blood testing is widespread and is usually done by the doctor themselves or at your local diagnostic centre. Knowing the different blood test names and meanings can help you better understand their uses and benefits.

Why do blood tests matter?

A blood test is carried out for a wide variety of reasons:

• To find out how well vital organs such as your heart, liver, kidneys, or thyroid are working
• To help diagnose lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, or AIDS/HIV
• To understand whether the prescribed medicine is working
• To diagnose clotting or bleeding disorders
• To identify health issues at an early stage
• To monitor chronic diseases and health conditions

The blood test reports help your doctor get a basic idea of your overall health and prescribe specialised tests to get an accurate diagnosis.

Types of blood tests

The list of blood tests can be very long. Here are some of the common ones that you need to know about.

Complete blood count (CBC)

This routine blood test checks ten different components of the blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, haemoglobin, and hematocrit. Any abnormalities in the normal levels of these components can indicate

• nutritional deficiencies,
• anaemia,
• blood cancer,
• infections,
• problems with the immune system, or
• clotting problems.

You may have to undergo a few follow-up tests to get a more precise diagnosis of your issues.

Basic metabolic panel (BMP)

This test checks for the following eight components in the blood:

• Glucose
• Calcium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Bicarbonate
• Chloride
• Blood urea nitrogen
• Creatinine

You may be asked to avoid eating anything for at least 8 hours before the sample is taken, depending on the parameters you need to measure and the doctor's instructions. Abnormal results in this test may be a result of

• diabetes,
• kidney disease, or
• hormone imbalance.

Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)

In this test, all the parameters checked in the BMP are measured along with a few others, like

• total protein,
• albumin,
• alkaline phosphatase,
• alanine aminotransferase,
• aspartate amino transferase, and
• bilirubin.

Abnormalities in these tests can indicate many health issues depending on whether the levels of components are higher or lower than the normal range.

Lipid panel

Lipid test is used to check the levels of two types of cholesterol in the body:

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL): It is also known as good cholesterol because it helps the liver remove harmful toxins from the body by breaking them down into waste.
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): It is also called bad cholesterol as it can cause plaque which clogs the blood vessels and increase the risks of heart disease.

Thyroid panel

The thyroid panel blood test, or the thyroid function test, is used to identify how well your thyroid functions when reacting to or producing hormones like

• Thyroxine,
• Triiodothyronine, and
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone.

Abnormal levels of hormones in the body can indicate conditions such as

• thyroid growth disorders,
• low protein levels, and
• abnormal levels of estrogen or testosterone.

Cardiac biomarkers

An enzyme is a protein which helps the body carry out chemical processes like breaking down food or clotting blood. Some of the standard blood tests for enzymes include

• Creatine kinase
• Troponin
• Creatine kinase-MB

Abnormal levels of enzymes indicate a wide range of issues that may need further testing.

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests

Most STIs are diagnosed with the help of a blood test or a blood and urine test combined. Some of the common STIs that can be identified using a blood test are

• Gonorrhea
• herpes
• HIV
• syphilis
• chlamydia

In some cases, blood tests have their limitations. For example, a test for HIV will be able to detect the virus only after a month of the infection.

Coagulation panel

A coagulation test is used to measure how long it takes for your blood to clot as well as how effectively it clots. Clotting is important for wound healing; however, if a clot forms in an artery or vein, it can block the blood flow to vital organs and cause health issues.

The results of these tests help doctors diagnose

• haemophilia (the condition in which you bleed excessively),
• liver conditions,
• Vitamin K deficiency,
• leukaemia, and
• thrombosis.

Electrolyte panel

This blood test helps measure the levels of different minerals in your body. Any imbalance in these levels may indicate problems with vital organs like the kidneys, lungs, or heart. Along with all the parameters in the BMP and CMP, this test also checks the magnesium and anion gap levels.

Allergy testing

An allergy blood test can identify increased levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE). It can help detect allergies for such as pollen, pets, various food items, and other substances.

Autoimmune diseases

An autoimmune disease is a result of your immune system accidentally attacking your body instead of protecting it from parasites, cancer, and viruses. Autoimmune tests include the following:

• C-reactive protein tests
• peripheral blood smears
• erythrocyte sedimentation rate
• CE complement blood tests
• antinuclear antibody tests

After preliminary testing, blood tests can also be used to identify specialised issues such as cancer, heart disease, and endocrine system disorders.

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Conclusion

A blood test can give you an overall idea of your health. It can be used to identify diseases or illnesses at an early stage. It also helps your healthcare provider understand how well your body is responding to treatment. Most people get routine blood tests at least once a year to stay on top of their health. You can talk to your doctor about some routine tests to ensure you are in optimal health or opt for medical testing packages available at Metropolis Labs.

Metropolis Labs offers all the tests you need based on your age, health and lifestyle.