A blood test is one of the most common and informative methods of primary diagnosis. Based on its results, one can judge the state of the organs, make, confirm or refute the diagnosis, determine at what stage the disease is and adjust the prescribed treatment, determine the level of hormones for their further correction. A blood test, the types of which are known to all doctors, is carried out not only for those who are sick, but also for completely healthy people who undergo routine medical examinations once a year (in kindergartens and schools, at work, in the army). Therefore, probably, there is no person in our country who has never encountered mysterious and slightly frightening figures in the tables with the results of the analysis.
Blood test: types
There are a huge number of different blood tests:
- On hormones.
- For sugar.
- Test for the determination of allergens.
- Immunological
- On coagulability.
- On tumor markers.
- To confirm pregnancy and others.
To begin with, consider the two most common and at the same time incomprehensible to a simple patient analysis:
- Biochemical.
- Clinical (general / detailed).
Biochemistry
Before you find out the norms of a biochemical blood test in adults, the table of which will be given below, we will understand why it is needed.
Referral to biochemistry is the same piece of paper that general practitioners give out daily in piles. It is prescribed according to the plan for each patient once a year to monitor the state of health and after any transferred complicated disease, as well as to any person who is in the hospital.
Blood sampling is made only from a vein (most often in the area of the elbow joint, but there are possible options for taking from the veins on the hands, feet, lower leg) and always in the morning, on an empty stomach. After the procedure, the tubes are sent to a special laboratory. Analysis results are usually ready the very next day.
Norms of biochemical analysis of blood in adults: table
| Index | unit of measurement | Lower limit of normal | Upper limit of normal |
Sugar / Glucose | mmol / l | 3.3 | 5.5 |
Urea | mmol / l | 2,5 | 8.3 |
Non-protein blood nitrogen (residual) | mmol / l | 14.3 | 28.6 |
Creatinine | micromol / l | 44 | 106 |
General lipids | g / l | 4 | eight |
Cholesterol | mmol / l | 3.6 | 7.8 |
Low Density Lipoproteins, LDL / LDL Cholesterol | mmol / l | men: 2.02 women: 1.92 | men: 4.79 women: 4.51 |
High Density Lipoproteins, HDL / HDL Cholesterol | mmol / l | Men: 0.72 women: 0.68 | men: 1.63 women: 2.28 |
Atherogenic coefficient | | 0 | 3 |
Triglycerides (the norm is highly dependent on gender and age. Values are given for the age of 35-40 years) | mmol / l | men: 0.61 women: 0.45 | men: 3.62 women: 1.99 |
Phospholipids | mmol / l | 2,51 | 2.92 |
| Bilirubin | μmol / liter | 8.5 | 20.55 |
Protein | g / l | 65 | 85 |
Albumen | g / l | 35 | fifty |
AST (aspartate aminotransferase) | A piece of chalk | 10 | 38 |
ALT (alanine aminotransferase) | A piece of chalk | 7 | 41 |
Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase | μmol / l | men: 15 women: 10 | men: 106 women: 66 |
Alkaline phosphatase | A piece of chalk | 20 | 140 |
Calcium | mmol / l | 2.15 | 2,50 |
Potassium | mmol / l | 3,5 | 5.5 |
Sodium | mmol / l | 136 | 145 |
Chlorine | mmol / l | 98 | 107 |
Iron | μmol / l | men: 11.64 women: 8.95 | men: 30,43 women: 30,43 |
Due to the savings in our district hospitals, doctors often do not consider it necessary to send patients to a generally accepted full-fledged analysis, and then some types of biochemical blood tests are formed, in the directions of which only some characteristics will be highlighted.
For example, if a patient complains of liver problems, they will take blood for bilirubin (total) and total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-gtr, C-reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase.
If the doctor suspects that the patient has diabetes, he will first of all conduct a biochemical study on sugar (glucose) to confirm or refute the assumption.
Patients are all different and an experienced doctor, if there are direct symptoms of the disease, will not spend the patient’s money and hospital resources in vain. Indeed, several times a year it is not necessary to conduct a complete general blood test, without special indications.
Clinical blood test
This is the name of a blood test, the types of which must be performed only on an empty stomach (regardless of whether blood will be taken from a finger or from a vein).
Today, performance measurements in this study are carried out automatically on special hematological analyzers.
The main indicators of a clinical blood test are:
- Hemoglobin is a red blood cell component that transports oxygen to tissues and organs. A decrease in hemoglobin leads to tissue oxygen deficiency. The norm for women is 120-140 grams / liter, for men - 135-160 grams / liter.
- White blood cells (number). White blood cells are blood cells whose main function is to protect against microorganisms, antigens, and tumor cells. Norm: (4 - 9) * 10 9 / l.
- ESR is an indicator of pathology in the body. In women, up to 12 mm / h is considered the norm, for men - up to 8 mm / h;
- Hematocrit - red blood cells. If the hematocrit is elevated, the presence of erythrocytosis or leukemia can be assumed. If lowered - anemia, hyperhydration, pregnancy. The norm for women is 0.360-0.460 l / l, for men 0.400-0.480 l / l;
- Red blood cells (amount). An increase in the number of red blood cells may indicate a thickening of the blood, neoplasms, and kidney diseases. The decrease is about blood loss, anemia, pregnancy, etc. The norm in men (4-5.15) * 10 12 l, in women - (3.7-4.7) * 10 12 l.
What else can a blood test show
To answer the question of what blood tests are, you first need to figure out what blood is and why it is needed at all.
Blood is the body’s tissue consisting of plasma (fluid) and cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets). It circulates through the vessels under the action of heart contractions and nourishes all organs of the human body.
Blood is necessary for a person in order to:
- Carry carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs, and oxygen - back.
- Deliver nutrients to tissue cells.
- Regulate body temperature.
- Transfer waste and harmful substances to the kidneys and lungs for their subsequent removal from the body.
- With the help of hormone transfer, bind together all organs and systems;
- Provide body protection.
- Ensure constancy within the body.
- Ensure the functioning of organs, giving them tension from the heart.
Thus, we understand that the composition of the blood can talk about many problems in the body: about violations in the operation of each of the systems, each organ of the human body. It is only necessary to pass a blood test in time, the types of which the doctor will pick up, and solve this riddle.
Thyroid hormone
Now almost every fifth resident of our large country can find some malfunctions and disorders in the thyroid gland. If during the examination the doctor suspects changes, the patient will be sent for an ultrasound (ultrasound) examination of the thyroid gland, as well as a blood test for TSH (for the amount of thyroid-stimulating hormone). After all, violations in the work of this body lead to infertility, libido disorders, problems with mental work, accelerates and aggravates the course of any infectious and inflammatory process in the body.
Indications for blood donation for the amount of thyroid hormone
They are as follows:
- Living in an area with iodine deficiency.
- After any surgical treatment.
- With problems with conceiving and bearing a child.
- When using hormonal means of protection against pregnancy (TSH control once a year).
With previously identified abnormalities in the gland, to control the course of the disease and the selection of medications.
Deviations from the norm in this analysis can talk about problems such as:
- Hypothyroidism (decreased thyroid function).
- Hyperthyroidism (increased gland function).
Timely revealed small deviations from the norm lend themselves to excellent medical correction, and serious and late pathologies may require surgical treatment. If the patient is found to have exceeded the thyroid-stimulating hormone norm, he will be prescribed ultrasound of the thyroid gland and, most likely, lifelong hormone replacement therapy.
The rate of thyroid-stimulating hormone
To clarify the diagnosis and control the course of the disease, a detailed blood test for TSH is prescribed, which includes:
- Free T3 (the hormone that is responsible for oxygen metabolism). The norm is 2.6-5.7 pmol / L.
- Free T4 (hormone responsible for protein metabolism). The norm is 9-22 mmol / l.
- Antibodies to thyroglobulin protein (to exclude diseases of the autoimmune system). Norm - up to 18 units / ml.
It is important to stop taking alcohol, hormonal contraceptives and other medicines containing hormones before taking blood for TSH hormones. It is also necessary to limit physical activity and refuse to drink for a day.
Blood coagulation
It happens that at a routine physical examination or when passing an analysis, a violation of the density of blood is accidentally detected. If this violation was detected during a biochemical analysis, the therapist will give a referral for an additional blood coagulation test. What is it called scientifically you need to remember - a coaugologram.
Also, an indication for analysis is:
- Signs of prolonged bleeding, bruising even from a slight pressure.
- Upcoming operation.
- Diseases of the heart, liver, blood vessels.
- Pregnancy.
- Low immunity.
Coagulation analysis includes a large set of indicators:
| Index | Norm |
| Prothrombin index | 12-20 sec |
| APTTV | 38-55 seconds |
| Plasma fibrinogen | 2.0-3.5 g / l |
| Thrombin time | 11-17.8 sec. |
| Recalcification of plasma | 60-120 sec. |
| Heparin tolerance | 3-11 min |
| Blood clot retraction | from 44% to 65% |
If a person is prescribed a blood coagulation test, as they say, he can not be remembered. Each patient is given a special direction, where the time will be indicated, the name of the study and the necessary requirements for its implementation, depending on the proposed diagnosis:
- Material is drawn from a finger to evaluate capillary blood coagulation.
- The vein is sampled to evaluate venous blood.
This analysis, like many others, must be taken on an empty stomach.
Analysis for female hormones
A good hormonal background is an important condition for the normal functioning of the whole organism. It is he who depends on normal sleep, well-being, ability to physical work. A study of the hormonal background is necessary for women with the appearance of such symptoms:
- Insomnia.
- Weight gain or dramatic weight loss.
- Malfunctions of the menstrual cycle.
- Irritability.
With an imbalance in the hormonal background, women develop problems in terms of the health of the reproductive system (including fibroids, cysts, polycystoses), mental disorders, obesity / exhaustion, irregularities or cessation of menstruation, infertility, male type of body hair growth and much more.
So, a blood test for female sex hormones includes:
- Follicle-stimulating hormone.
- Prolactin.
- Luteinizing hormone.
- Estriol.
- Progesterone.
- Follicle-stimulating hormone.
- DHEA sulfate.
It is worth remembering that the level of many hormones varies significantly, depending on the stage of the cycle, so you must carefully follow the doctor's instructions before giving blood. Any hormone test is always taken on an empty stomach, 1-2 hours after waking up.
Male sex hormones
- Testosterone.
- Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate.
Analysis for male sex hormones can be assigned to both men and women. The thing is that it is androgens that are responsible for attraction (libido) in both women and men. Specifically, testosterone also affects the functioning of the sebaceous glands, muscles, and brain.
Analysis of the amount of androgens in both men and women is given on any day in the morning on an empty stomach.