The comprehensive blood tests they are a great way to keep an eye on your health. A good habit that should be regular, in the right time intervals, to allow you to promptly discover any alterations in the values considered normal.
At least once a year it would be good to have complete tests, going to a hospital or a specialized laboratory. The first rule in this case is to carry out the blood analysis in the morning, showing up at the facility on an empty stomach for at least 8 hours.
Especially if the time between one exam and another exceeds one year, it is advisable to proceed with a complete blood count complete, which always remains a very useful analysis package. Inside we find the indications relating to red blood cells, useful for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the cells, whose reference values are between 4.5 and 5 million per mm3 in women and between 4.5 and 6 million in men.
White blood cells are also included, with values between 4,000-7,000 / mm3 (women) and between 5,000 and 8,000 / mm3 (men). Also included in the complete blood count platelets (Plt) and hemoglobin (Hgb).
Complete blood tests, what they are
In addition to the aforementioned complete blood count, some other tests may be added, requested by the doctor or carried out independently as a preventive activity. For example, those analyzes related to levels of cholesterol, investigated through three parameters: total level, HDL and Ldl. Usually these values are evaluated parallel to those of triglycerides.
The analysis of the levels is also very useful sideremia, or the amount of iron present in the blood. Those involving the thyroid gland, i.e. TSH, FT3 and FT4, should also be included in the blood tests. Then there are other tests, related to markers useful in the screening activity, such as: Got or Ast, Gpt or Alt, gamma Gt, Ves, Ldh or lactic dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase.
What you need to know to interpret them
One thing to know about blood tests is that they may be required timing variables for the different exams. The results are likely to be delivered together, so there will be a little longer to wait than with the basic analyzes.
Another important aspect to evaluate is the variability of results from laboratory to laboratory. It is therefore advisable to pay close attention to the reference ranges indicated by the structure to which you are addressing. The difference in results between one structure and another can also lead to values just over the recommended threshold, but in these cases, excesses could be destined to fall within a short time.
There are also some factors capable of altering the results of complete blood tests, including intense physical exercise. Two other possible sources of interference are pregnancy and medication. In any case, it is recommended not to limit yourself to consulting the reports provided by the analysis laboratory on your own, but to investigate any values outside the norm with your doctor. All the more so if certain parameters in particular are involved, such as those relating to the thyroid gland or related to the presence of white blood cells in the blood.