Understanding Common Blood Tests | List of Blood Tests

 

 

Table of Contents:
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
Coagulation Panel
Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Test
Thyroid Function Tests
Cardiac Enzyme Tests
FAQ

Understanding Common Blood Tests

How do doctors peer inside your body without cutting it open? Blood tests deliver vital facts about a person's health because doctors examine different parts of the blood. The results help find sickness, watch how well organs work, and give direction to treatment choices. Below sits a list of typical blood tests, together with their goals and what they normally judge.

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

The CBC is one of the most usual blood tests doctors request. It checks the overall health of blood cells by measuring:

• Red blood cell (RBC) amount, hemoglobin, as well as hematocrit, which decide how much oxygen the blood carries and check for low blood iron (anemia).
• White blood cell (WBC) amount and differential, which help find body infections, inflammation, in addition to blood cancers.
• Platelet amount, which holds importance for blood clotting.
• Red blood cell numbers such as mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), which offer facts about red cell size and hemoglobin content, useful when a doctor finds types of low blood iron.

Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)

The BMP judges key body chemicals and salts (electrolytes) in the blood, which include:

• Blood sugar (glucose), which holds importance for checking for diabetes.
• Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, chloride, next to bicarbonate, which adjust fluid balance and muscle action.
• Markers for kidney function like blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine.
• Calcium levels.

This group of tests gives a quick look at how the body processes food and how well the kidneys work. You must fast before the test.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

Does the CMP test more than the BMP? Yes. The CMP includes all tests in the BMP and extra markers to judge liver function and nutrition status:

• Liver chemicals such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST).
• Bilirubin, a marker for how well the liver and bile ducts work.
• Total protein and albumin levels.

The CMP proves useful for finding liver sickness, diabetes, along with imbalances in body salts.

Coagulation Panel

This group of tests judges the blood's power to clot. It includes tests such as:

• Prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (INR), which decide how the external clotting path works.
• Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), which tests the internal clotting path.
• D-dimer, which finds unnatural clot creation and break down. This test proves useful when a doctor finds conditions like deep vein blood clot or a blood clot in the lung.

Results that show a problem suggest bleeding sickness, clotting problems, liver sickness, or a lack of vitamin K. Consult your doctor right away if you receive results outside the normal range.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Test

What does the HbA1c test tell us? This test judges the average blood sugar amounts over the last two or three months by looking at sugar-coated hemoglobin. Doctors mostly use it to find and watch how well diabetes treatment goes.

Thyroid Function Tests

These tests judge thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) to decide how the thyroid gland works. They help find low thyroid activity (hypothyroidism), high thyroid activity (hyperthyroidism), and thyroid sickness where the body attacks itself (autoimmune thyroid diseases).

Cardiac Enzyme Tests

These include judgments of body chemicals such as creatine phosphokinase (CPK) isoenzymes and troponin. These release into the blood after the heart muscle sustains harm. They hold critical importance in finding heart attacks and other heart problems.

Each of these blood tests plays a vital part in finding sickness and watching health. Doctors pick specific tests based on what symptoms exist, the person's health history, and the health question at hand. Understand these tests to value the full reach and importance of blood work in staying healthy.

FAQ

Why do I need to fast before some blood tests?

You need to fast before some blood tests, like the BMP or CMP, because eating food changes the levels of substances like glucose and fats in your blood. Not eating for a set time (usually 8 to 12 hours) ensures the test gives a true picture of your body's base chemistry.

Do abnormal results always mean I have a serious disease?

No, abnormal results do not always point to a serious disease. Many factors cause changes in blood test results, including diet, exercise, medicine, as well as minor sickness. Your doctor will look at the results together with your symptoms and health history to figure out what the results mean for you.

How long do blood test results take?

The time blood test results take depends on the type of test. Routine tests like a CBC often return results within 24 hours. More specialized tests, such as genetic screening or complex infection tests, take several days or even weeks. Your doctor's office or the lab tells you the usual waiting time for your specific tests.

Resources & References:

1. https://www.adventhealth.com/hospital/adventhealth-murray/blog/10-different-types-blood-tests
2. https://ada.com/blood-test-results/
3. https://www.mclaren.org/main/news/the-five-most-common-blood-tests-and-what-they-tel-5623
4. https://centersurgentcare.net/list-of-blood-tests/general/
5. https://www.amboss.com/us/knowledge/laboratory-medicine/
6. https://www.bccancer.bc.ca/pharmacy-site/Documents/Clinical_Pharmacy_Guide/cpg3e-lab-test-table.pdf
7. https://bloodcancerunited.org/blood-cancer-care/adults/lab-imaging-tests/blood-tests-urinalysis
8. https://www.definitivehc.com/resources/healthcare-insights/common-lab-tests