Interpreting Basic Blood Test Results
Blood test results should always be interpreted by health care professionals such as your doctor. However, it is also a good idea to have some background knowledge about blood tests. A blood test is ordered by a doctor to help make diagnosis easier. To perform a blood test, qualified medical personnel will extract a blood sample in a vein in the upper extremity via finger prick or using a syringe. The basic blood test will check for electrolytes in the body. It could also examine your blood glucose level, complete blood count, and liver enzyme levels.
Here is a simple explanation of a blood test result. This explanation does not intend to replace the explanation provided by qualified medical professionals. Sodium is important for maintaining water balance in the body. If you have a kidney problem, diarrhea or taking diuretics, you may have low sodium level. An increase in the level of potassium could mean that you have a renal disease. Potassium is also important in the functioning of heart, so an abnormal value could indicate possible heart trouble. If you have an abnormally low or high bicarbonate level, this might indicate problems in the lungs and kidney.
Blood glucose amount is usually examined to determine if you have diabetes. If you have a very low blood glucose level, you could be diagnosed with hypoglycemia. This condition is characterized by fainting, dizziness, weakness and collapse. Meanwhile, a complete blood count will determine the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hematocrit, and hemoglobin in your body. If you have very low level of white blood cells, this means that you have an infection. If your platelet count is very low, you may bleed easily. If your red blood cell count is abnormally very low, you may be suffering from anemia.
Knowing your liver enzyme levels is important to determine if you have a healthy liver. If your serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (sGPT) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (sGOT) levels are both very high, this could mean that your liver cells are damaged, as in the case with viral hepatitis.