blood chemistry test

listen (blud KEH-mih-stree …)

A test done on a sample of blood to measure the amount of certain substances in the
body. These substances include electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, and chloride),
fats, proteins, glucose (sugar), and enzymes. Blood chemistry tests give important
information about how well a person’s kidneys, liver, and other organs are working. An
abnormal amount of a substance in the blood can be a sign of disease or side effect of
treatment. Blood chemistry tests are used to help diagnose and monitor many conditions
before, during, and after treatment. Also called blood chemistry study.

https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=774688

Blood Chemistry Screen

18 159 22StumbleUpon22 Print

Analysis of blood chemistry can provide important information about the function of the kidneys
and other organs. This common panel of blood tests measures levels of important electrolytes
and other chemicals, including the following.

Glucose, or blood sugar, is broken down in the body's cells to provide energy. Elevated levels
may be caused by diabetes or medications such as steroids.

Sodium levels in the blood represent a balance between sodium and water intake and excretion.
Abnormal blood levels of sodium may indicate heart or kidney dysfunction or dehydration.

Potassium plays a vital role in regulating muscle activity, including contraction of the heart.
Kidney failure as well as vomiting or diarrhea may lead to abnormal levels.

Chloride levels may rise and fall in parallel with sodium levels to maintain electrical neutrality.
Several disorders may alter chloride levels, including kidney dysfunction, adrenal disease,
vomiting, diarrhea, and congestive heart failure.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) acts as a buffer system to help maintain the acid-base balance of the
blood. Respiratory disease, kidney disorders, severe vomiting, diarrhea, and very severe
infections can produce abnormal levels.

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) provides a rough measurement of the glomerular filtration rate, or
the rate at which blood is filtered across small blood vessels in the kidney. A high BUN level
may indicate kidney dysfunction.

Creatinine—which is a breakdown product of creatine, an important component of muscle—is

excreted exclusively by the kidneys. The serum creatinine level is considered the most sensitive
blood test of kidney function.
Purpose of Blood Chemistry Screen
 To provide general information about how your body is functioning
 To screen for a wide range of problems, including kidney, liver, heart, adrenal, gastrointestinal,
endocrine, and neuromuscular disorders
 To monitor people who have hypertension (high blood pressure) or hypokalemia (low levels of
potassium)
 To detect problems with the way your body is working
 To measure chemical substances in the blood

http://www.healthcommunities.com/blood-tests/blood-chemistry-screen.shtml

CBC (Complete Blood Count)

8 32 52StumbleUpon11 Print

As blood continuously circulates through the body, it performs many vital functions—including
carrying oxygen to and waste products from body tissues, helping to fight infection, and
maintaining blood vessel integrity. Whole blood is made up of 2 major components: plasma
(which is essentially water that contains hundreds of dissolved substances) and blood cells
(which include red and white blood cells and platelets). A complete blood count (CBC)
assesses the number and size of these different types of cells.

The following tests are commonly included in a CBC, or in some cases may be performed alone:

Red blood cell (RBC) count estimates the number of RBCs in the blood. The primary function
of RBCs is to carry hemoglobin or oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues and to carry
carbon dioxide (a waste product) from the tissues back to the lungs for elimination. A low RBC
count indicates anemia, low red blood cell count, while a high count carries a risk that the RBCs
will clump together and block capillaries.

Hemoglobin—the iron-containing pigment that gives RBCs their red color—is a protein that
enables the RBCs to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. The total hemoglobin test estimates
the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, and gives an idea of the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.
(Though not part of a CBC, a laboratory technique called electrophoresis may be used to detect
the presence of abnormal hemoglobins, which often do not work as well as normal ones.)

Hematocrit—which assesses the amount of space (volume) RBCs take up in the blood—is
determined by measuring the volume of RBCs after a blood sample is spun in a centrifuge.
(Values are given as a percentage of the blood that is red cells.)
Red blood cell indices incorporate the results of the RBC count, hemoglobin, and hematocrit
tests to provide further information about the size, hemoglobin concentration, and hemoglobin
content of an average RBC. These values help to categorize different types of anemia.

Reticulocyte count measures the number of newly formed RBCs, or reticulocytes, in the blood
and gives an idea of RBC production by the bone marrow. (This value is expressed as a
percentage of the total RBC count.) This test helps to distinguish between different types of
anemias, or to monitor treatment for anemia.

White blood cell (WBC) count estimates the number of WBCs in the blood. These cells—
which fight infection and promote wound healing—are drawn to sites of infection and
inflammation, where they engulf and digest invaders such as bacteria and other microorganisms
or foreign bodies. This test may be done alone to detect the presence of an infection (values may
rise dramatically) or to monitor response to cancer treatment.

White blood cell differential measures the proportion of the various types of WBCs in the
blood as well as their structure. (There are five different kinds of WBCs that respond in varying
degrees to the presence of infection or inflammation.) This test helps to determine the severity of
an infection, suggests the type of organism responsible, and also provides important information
about the immune system.

Platelet count is an estimate of the number of platelets in the blood. Platelets, or thrombocytes,
are blood cells that clump together, or aggregate, at sites of blood vessel injury and work
together with various clotting factors to promote the formation of blood clots. This process,
called coagulation, is essential to stop bleeding and repair tissue injuries.

Blood smear is a test that involves spreading blood on a slide which is then stained with a
special dye and examined under a microscope. This test can provide additional diagnostic
information to a CBC by identifying changes in cell color, size, and shape and the type of cells in
circulation, as well as the presence of cell inclusions. For example, sickle cell anemia can be
detected by the presence of characteristic unusually shaped red cells, and leukemia by the
presence of very immature white cells (blast cells) in the blood.

Purpose of the CBC

 Used as a general screening test to provide information about the state of a person’s health, for
example, before a scheduled surgery
 To detect or evaluate blood cell disorders, such as anemia (an abnormal decrease in RBCs),
polycythemia (an excess of RBCs), leukopenia (an abnormal decrease in WBCs), leukemia (a type
of cancer that affects the WBCs), and thrombocytopenia (a decrease in blood platelets)
 To monitor drug therapy and drug toxicity
 To detect blood loss, abnormal production or destruction of blood cells, acute and chronic

http://www.healthcommunities.com/blood-tests/complete-blood-count-cbc.shtml