10 Important Blood Tests Everyone should Perform

Do you want to keep a track of your health condition? Are you not sure from where to start with it? If you feel overwhelmed or tired, then you should conduct necessary blood tests to know about your health. Talk to a doctor and know how your health condition is and where you can actually improve. Even when you feel healthy, these blood tests will ensure you have good health. Read on to know about 10 important private blood tests you should perform on a daily basis.

Complete Blood Count

Complete blood count or CBC is among the commonly ordered tests with which the blood cells tell about your present health condition. CBC enables you and your doctor to know when there are issues with inflammation or infections, though it will signal when your diet is not balanced. When you do not include certain micronutrients in your diet, your body will not be able to produce blood cells normally.

It is essential to maintain a track of CBC values as many of them leave a strong impact on your overall quality of life. Having low level of hemoglobin may be the reason why you feel low in energy and fatigued though a low white blood cell count may make you catch infections easily.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

Comprehensive metabolic panel or CMP is the group of blood tests which enables you and your doctor to know how healthy the kidneys and liver are. It will also alert whether there are any problems in sugar levels, acid/base balance and protein levels in the body. You will be aware about this panel well when you suffer from chronic health problems such as – diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or liver damage. Doctors generally use CMP to evaluate the progression of your ailment.

When these tests are not available as a panel, you can perform them individually. A CMP usually comprises of 14 biomarkers which are calcium, albumin, glucose, potassium, protein, sodium, chloride, bicarbonate, bilirubin, BUN (urea), ALP, AST, ALT and creatinine.

Lipid Panel (Cholesterol and Triglycerides)

A lipid panel calculates the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. These markers are strongly linked to heart disease. If you want to keep it simple, make sure you have higher good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides.

These tests are somewhat controversial and if you have greater risk of heart disease, the doctor will maintain a track of these markers such as – ApoB, LDL and Lp(a) particles.  But a routine lipid panel is a great way to take care of your heart health.

HbA1c

Though a glucose test shows the present glucose levels, HbA1c will tell you about blood sugar levels for the past 3 months. If you remain healthy, you should check it at least once in a year. But people who have diabetes may want to do it for 4 times a year.

Other than risk factor for diabetes, high HbA1c levels may increase the risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality of an individual. This is among the markers which you want to keep in the optimal range.

hs-CRP

C-reactive protein or CRP is a protein that can help to fight bacteria and viruses and avoids getting any infection. But it also increases in response to extreme stress. You can have higher CRP levels in the case you are overweight, have diabetes, high pressure, smoke, periodontal (gum) disease, do not exercise daily and are exposed to emotional stress.

CRP can help to detect the risk of heart disease. When CRP and cholesterol levels are higher, the overall risk of heart disease may increase by almost 9-fold. The positive news is that there are several things you may do to decrease CRP levels and so, this is one the lab tests worth keeping a track of.

Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy Vitamin D)

It is important to test your Vitamin D level and check for this nutritional deficiency. Vitamin D can be lessened in your body when you do not lead a healthy lifestyle or you suffer from chronic health problems. Do you experience muscle aches, low back pain, digestive problems, fatigue, mood swings, weakened immunity and obesity? Well, these are all symptoms of the deficiency of Vitamin D in the body.

It is possible to get Vitamin D from the exposure of sun, certain foods or supplements. Make sure you are careful when supplementing, as too much can be the reason for Vitamin D toxicity. For these reasons, you need to consult with the doctor before supplementing them.

Ferritin/Iron

The deficiency of iron can be a common nutritional deficiency and leading cause of anemia. According to the CDC, iron deficiency may affect nearly 60 – 80% of the entire population of the world.

On the other hand, some severe diseases may lead to iron overload which is very toxic to our bodies. So, you need to test your iron levels occasionally, whether it is blood iron or ferritin.

GGT

GGT is an enzyme that the doctors use to assess the function of your liver. But it is not a part of the CMP. There is a link between higher GGT levels, inflammation and oxidative stress which denotes the test is helpful beyond estimating your liver health.

According to research, higher GGT has been linked with the normal range and increased risk of diabetes, heart and kidney disease. So, it is definitely a good idea to check the levels once in a while.

Uric Acid

Too much uric acid may be the reason for kidney stones and increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease in individuals. So, the lower it is, the better it will be for your health condition.

Uric acid is a natural antioxidant which makes up almost 60% of antioxidant capacity of your body. According to studies, it can protect the brain from diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. So, you should try to keep uric acid in an optimal range.

Thyroid Hormones (TSH)

Thyroid hormones can control your metabolism rate. They may affect insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels. An overactive or underactive thyroid may lead to some issues like weight, energy levels and mood.

TSH is among the commonly tested markers to check for thyroid function. Having higher-than-normal level of TSH means the thyroid is underactive or hypothyroidism while lower-than-normal level means it is overactive or hyperthyroidism. On the other hand, you may take whole thyroid panel which is the combination of these biomarkers: TSH, total or free T3, total or free T4, free T4 Index and T3 uptake. Consult with the doctor to know what makes the most sense in your case.

Thus, you may visit your nearest walkin clinic to conduct necessary blood tests and maintain good health.