Blood tests are a prerequisite for any type of diagnosis. It keeps track of the entire wellbeing of an individual, allowing them to take necessary decisions about their health. Whether you are healthy or sick, regular blood tests act as a brief exam that is essential for you to improve your overall health. In addition, blood tests have now become more convenient with online lab test services and home lab test services.
What Does a Blood Test Indicate?
Blood test results give you the record of many health concerns such as
- Anemia
- Diabetes
- Deficiency of minerals
- Heart diseases
- Whether or not medications are working
- Assessment of blood clotting and more
There are a large number of blood tests that may confuse those who want to make it a regular practice. So, what are the blood tests that one must do annually? We will tell you which ones are important.
1. Complete Blood Cell Count
A complete blood count is one of the essential blood tests that must be repeated after every few months. What does this blood test do? Complete blood count gives an overview of the parameters including white blood cell count, platelet count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, and more.
This test is performed for various reasons. The blood count gives doctors the idea if you have infections, inflammations, or any other underlying condition. Moreover, the values of the blood count help doctors evaluate if the treatments are working.
Complete blood cell count tests can be easily conducted at home with the help of online lab test services and home lab test services.
2. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) is a group of blood tests that a doctor suggests to check the health of your liver and kidneys and type 2 diabetes risk. It will also give the evaluation of your blood sugar, pH balance in your blood, electrolyte levels, or protein levels.
If the reports show any abnormal values of your comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), you may need further examination with other advanced tests. You must consult your doctor if you notice any abnormal values on the test.
This test can also be performed at home using online lab test services and home lab test services.
3. Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C)
Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) is mostly recommended for people who may have a higher risk of diabetes. This test is suggested by the doctor to get the history of your blood sugar levels over the past three months. For non-diabetic individuals, HbA1C test once a year is works fine as for the diabetic people, they need to do it every three months.
Apart from diabetes, higher HbA1C level also increases the risk of heart diseases and can be the cause of many other diseases. Therefore, it is one of the tests that must be done regularly to ensure that you do not have any underlying condition.
If you do not want to visit a blood test laboratory to give samples for Hemoglobin A1C, you can use online lab test services and home lab test services from the comfort of your home.
4. 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Test
Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies all across the globe. So, you must measure your Vitamin D levels every once in a while, to avoid any unforeseen chronic health conditions. Some of the common Vitamin D deficiency symptoms are muscle aches, poor immunity, lower back pain, fatigue, and more.
How can you check Vitamin D levels? 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Test gives you the values of Vitamin D. For low Vitamin D, doctors mostly suggest more sun exposure during the morning time, vitamin D-rich foods, and other supplements. For worse cases where Vitamin D level is crucially low, doctors inject Vitamin D shots. Correct Vitamin D levels are very important or they can lead to long-term bone diseases as well.
You can give your blood sample for the 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Test via online lab test services and home lab test services.
5. Lipid Profile
For people approaching the latter half of their lives, a lipid profile test is very important. The test measures cholesterol and triglyceride levels; these two values are directly associated with heart disease. Not only middle-aged individuals, but the younger generation has also started developing cholesterol issues, making these tests quite significant.
In this test, you may want to keep a check on good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and your bad cholesterol low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or (LDL). Fasting is the pre-requisite of this test which means that the last meal must be taken 8 hours before getting this test.
You must get your lipid panel once a year and if your test shows a higher cholesterol value, you must urgently visit your doctor; negligence may result in heart disease risk.
6. Thyroid Panel
Thyroid issues have become very common. According to the statistics, every one in ten women has a thyroid problem which is about 60% of the total population. This is why early diagnoses are extremely important. A thyroid panel is a comprehensive test that gives you an overview of TSH, total or free T4, total or free T3, T3 uptake, and free T4 Index.
If you do not want to get into complex details, you must at least get a thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH. Thyroid hormones control the rate of your metabolism and impact cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity and TSH is one of the main markers to evaluate thyroid functions.
Online services have made everything easier. So, now you can give your blood samples to a trusted laboratory for thyroid panels using online lab test services and home lab test services.
The Bottom Line Blood tests are key to rule out any underlying medical condition. You may find it overwhelming but you do not need to get all the tests done; only a few basics can show a good picture of your internal health. If you find any abnormal values in your blood test reports, you must immediately visit your doctor; even small variations in the readings can make a big difference. Now, you can easily give blood samples without having to go to the laboratory with the help of online lab test services and home lab test services. So, make the most of it!