All You Need to Know About Blood Testing

All You Need to Know About Blood Testing : One of the most common lab tests is a blood test. You may be required to get a blood test done to measure or examine cells, proteins, chemicals, or other substances in your blood. Blood tests are also called blood work and they are often prescribed by your physician as a part of your regular medical checkup.

Physicians recommend a blood test to:

Monitor a chronic disease or condition, such as high cholesterol or diabetes
Diagnose certain diseases and conditions
Find out if ongoing treatment for a disease is working and whether the medication doses need to be altered
Check the functioning of organs like the liver, kidneys, heart, and thyroid
Diagnose bleeding or clotting disorders
Determine if the immune system is having difficulty in fighting infections

Different types of blood tests

There are several types of blood tests but the most commonly used are:

Complete Blood Count Test (CBC) – This test is used to measure different parts of your blood: red and white blood cells, platelets, and haemoglobin. CBC is often prescribed as part of a regular checkup.
Blood Metabolic Panel– This includes multiple tests to measure certain chemicals in the blood, including calcium, glucose and electrolytes.
Blood Enzyme Test– Enzymes control chemical reactions in our bodies. There are different types of blood enzyme tests and the most common ones are troponin and creatine kinase tests. These tests help to find out if you’ve had a heart attack and/or if your heart muscles have been damaged.
Blood Clotting Test- These tests are also called a coagulation panel. These tests show if a person has a disorder that causes too much clotting or bleeding.
Blood tests for heart disease– These include a triglyceride test and cholesterol test

How can I get a lab test near me?

If you’re wondering ‘Is it convenient to find a blood test lab near me, then the answer is yes. It is very easy to get a blood test done even from the comfort of your home. You can book an appointment to get the blood test sample taken from the place of your choice, be it your home, office or any other location as per your convenience. The technician will take a sample of your blood and this process is also called a blood draw.

When the blood draw is done from a vein, it’s known as a venipuncture. During venipuncture, a lab professional (called a phlebotomist) takes a blood sample from a vein in your arm using a small needle, which may cause a little sting. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood gets collected into a test tube or vial. This process usually takes less than five minutes and is the most common way to do a blood test.

Other ways in which a blood test is done are:

Finger prick test– This type of blood test is done by pricking your fingertip to get a small amount of blood. At-home test kits and rapid tests use finger prick testing. Rapid tests are easy to do, require no special equipment and give fast results.
Heel stick test– This test is done mostly for newborns. During a heel stick test, the baby’s heel is cleaned with alcohol and then poked with a small needle. The lab technician collects a few drops of blood and covers the site with a bandage.
Arterial blood test– This test allows you to measure your oxygen levels. The blood in your arteries has higher levels of oxygen than the blood in a vein. For an arterial blood test, the blood sample is taken from an artery instead of a vein. You may feel a sharp tinge when the needle is inserted into the artery for taking the blood sample.

No special preparations are needed for most blood tests. However, for some tests, you may be required to fast for several hours before the test. In case there are any other special instructions, you will be informed of the same at the time of booking an appointment for your blood test.

Are there any risks associated with blood tests?

There is very little risk in a finger prick test or venipuncture. You may have slight pain or bruise at the spot where the needle was put in, but these symptoms are temporary. Babies are also not at any risk in a heel stick test. Your baby may feel a little tinge when the heel is poked, and in some cases, a small bruise may form but it goes away quickly without leaving a mark at the site.

When blood is collected from an artery, it may be slightly more painful than collecting from a vein, but this test also does not have any complications. There may be some bruising, bleeding, or soreness at the spot from where the sample was taken. It is advisable to avoid lifting heavy objects for 24 hours after this test.

In some cases, when the blood test does not give enough information, your physician may prescribe other tests to get the complete picture and to give an accurate diagnosis.