Saturday, July 9, 2011

Blood chemistry tests - What the doctor

When you go to the doctor can perform a series of "routine tests". However, there are several tests that painting pictures is completely different. For example, a CBC (complete blood count) is used to measure the level of blood cells and white blood cells and red blood cells. On the other hand, a chemistry panel measures the levels of various electrolytes (like sodium and potassium) and other chemicals in the blood. This article focuses on the panels and their chemical compositionmeaning.

Instructions: serum chemical tests can be very basic or very large. Some panels are 6 or 7 tests, while others may have 20 or more. A profile focuses on the basic chemistry of the most vital blood chemistries, such as sodium and potassium levels in the blood and evidence of kidney disease. On the other hand, the complete profiles include other tests such as tests to evaluate liver function. These tests have given a more detailed picture of your overall health.

Usmany chemicals in the blood. An aberration of the highest concentration of some of these can be life threatening. For example, when the level of sodium in the blood is very high, which can lead to coma or even death. On the other hand, an abnormal level of another chemical in the profile may simply be the result of a diseased organ, but in itself is not dangerous for the body. One example is the elevation of ALT and AST enzymes. Elevation of one or boththese enzymes is an indicator of liver inflammation, which may be due to several causes.

Potential Risks: This simply requires routine venipuncture, so the risk is minimal.

That is, the doctor may use when it comes to the test with you:
Alkaline phosphatase - an enzyme that when elevated, it usually means abnormal liver or bone
ALT - an enzyme that is a marker of liver abnormalities
AST - another enzyme that is a marker of liver abnormalities
bicarbonate - an indicator of acid-base balance of blood
BUN (blood urea nitrogen) - a substance that indicates how well the kidneys are working, mainly
Chloride - an important chemical in the blood
creatinine - a substance that indicates how well the kidneys are working
glucose - blood sugar. A sustained level of glucose indicating diabetes. (Anyone can have elevated levels of blood sugar after eating.)
Hypercalcaemia - a highconcentration of calcium in the blood
hyperkalemia - high concentration of potassium in the blood
hypernatremia - high concentration of sodium
hyperuricemia - a high concentration of uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is a substance that leads to gout.
hypokalemia - low potassium concentration in the blood
hyponatremia - low sodium concentration in the blood

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