In our high-tech age, doctors still remain faithful to proven diagnostic methods, such as blood, urine, feces. As a rule, not a single appointment with a therapist is left without referral to these tests. But are they informative?
Why do we need general analyzes?
As soon as a failure occurs in the body, this immediately affects the main indicators of biological fluids - blood and urine. Depending on what exactly is wrong, these or those characteristics change.
And if the material is assembled correctly, even general analyzes can be informative enough for the initial diagnosis. Later, when the doctor understands in what approximately direction to look, he may ask the patient to undergo clarifying tests to confirm or refute his assumptions. But it is a general analysis that will tell him what the problem may be. And if a visitor came as part of a medical examination, then this is also a quick way to understand whether everything is in order, and to remove most of the questions about the state of health. In a word, proven methods simply have nothing to replace - they are so effective. It is not surprising that they are still used so actively.
In this case, a urinalysis and a blood test are often considered in combination, since this significantly increases the information content. That's why even in the absence of complaints, doctors often give patients two directions for tests at once.
Blood
This liquid is an invaluable source of information, it, in fact, is the carrier of life in the human body. Its composition is unique, so it has not yet been possible to synthesize a full-fledged substitute that could save hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Blood consists of the liquid part - the plasma, and the cells contained in it. Both of these components are crucial. Plasma is colorless and similar in composition to salt water, although not identical to it. The color of blood is given by various cells - red and white bodies. All their species have their own function and cannot be replaced by others. If everything had been arranged in a different way, otherwise it would have been difficult to imagine the world as we know it.

The main types of blood cells are: white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. The former are responsible for protecting the body from harmful bacteria and support the immune system, the latter provide respiration and nutrition for all cells in the body, and the others help to quickly “wound” the wounds with any injuries and injuries. The ratio of the number of these cells, as well as their behavior and reaction under certain conditions, are observed in a blood test.
Urine
This fluid is equally important in assessing health status. Since it is a product of blood filtration, many problems in the body also quickly become visible when analyzing its composition. For 97%, urine consists of water, the rest is the breakdown products of protein substances, as well as salt.
With various disorders and metabolic imbalances in the product of the work of the kidneys, extraneous elements appear or changes in normal values occur. For example, in inflammatory processes of the excretory system, bacteria can be detected in the urine, although normally it is sterile. In other cases, proteins or special elements can be found - cylinders. Thus, urinalysis and blood analysis are equally important - they can help to look at the problem from different angles.
Feces
The body's food processing product can also provide some information about human health. In particular, with its help it is possible to assess the state of the intestine, to diagnose dysbiosis or infection with certain types of parasites. In other cases, tests using this biomaterial can detect bleeding in the digestive tract and malfunction of the biliary system. In general, do not neglect these analyzes.
Preparation and delivery procedure
Clinical blood and urine tests require certain actions when collecting material and immediately in front of it. Despite the fact that these rules seem to be known to everyone, it will not be superfluous to recall them again.
It is correct for a general analysis to collect a morning dose of urine. Before this, it is necessary to conduct a toilet of the external genital organs, especially for the female sex, but men should not neglect this in order to avoid distortion of the results. Next, you need to collect the average portion in sufficient quantity in a sterile container.
Well, in order to get a blood test, you need to visit the treatment room on an empty stomach. If this rule is violated, the material may become unsuitable for research. When it’s not about a general analysis, you should further clarify the issue of preparation for taking a blood test from a doctor. In some cases, during a certain time before the test, the diet is adjusted. In others, on the contrary, you must definitely eat. In other words, the conditions vary.
Taking a urine and blood test is as simple as possible - you can take a referral from a local therapist or go without appointment to any paid clinic. The results will be ready very quickly.
Special tests
In addition to the fact that there is a general analysis of blood and urine, which considers the main indicators, there are many others. For example, with an increased risk of diabetes, a glucose tolerance test is often passed. If there is a suspicion of a particular disease, look for antibodies to its pathogen. Still blood is often used for genetic tests that reveal various tendencies and predispositions. In a word, there are a lot of special options, but there must be certain reasons for assigning any of them. In any case, blood is an invaluable source of information about the state of the human body.
As for urine, it can also provide useful health information. Since, in fact, it is filtered blood, some of the substances get into it, albeit at a much lower concentration. In addition, urine allows you to find out how efficiently the kidneys work. In order to understand this, it is enough to conduct a test of Zimnitsky.
Norm
A urinalysis and a blood test are the most popular and simple tests that rely on basic indicators and material properties. Despite the fact that normal values can be individual for each person, there is a certain framework beyond which is a cause for concern.
Indicator | Reference values |
Men | Women |
Hemoglobin | 120-180 | 115-165 |
Red blood cells | 4-5.5 million | 3.9-4.7 million |
White blood cells | 4-9 thousand |
Platelets | 200-400 thousand |
Color indicator | 0.8-1 |
Monocytes | 2-9% |
Lymphocytes | 18-30% |
ESR | 1-10 mm / h | 2-15 mm / h |
For urine, normal values are approximately the same for both sexes, so division, as with blood, is usually not used.
Indicator | Reference values |
Relative density | 1010-1026 |
Reaction | slightly acidic |
Glucose | Not detected |
Protein | Not found |
Bacteria | Not detected |
Red blood cells | Not detected |
White blood cells | 0-7 |
Epithelium | 0-5 |
By the way, the pH of urine is largely dependent on the diet. People who mostly prefer plant-based foods can often suffer from inflammation due to a violation of the natural barrier and the growth of harmful bacteria due to the alkaline environment.
The biochemical analysis of blood and urine, in addition to the indicators already listed, also examines the composition of the biomaterial for microelements and some other substances that signal more serious problems and processes. Typically, such tests are prescribed more or less precisely before starting a serious examination.
Test results
Blood and urine can give a lot of information to knowledgeable people, but most have no idea what these or other deviations from the norm mean.
For example, the number of red blood cells can be increased or decreased both in malignant formations and in case of anemia or oxygen starvation. ESR can increase or decrease during pregnancy, menstruation, after injuries, in the presence of inflammatory processes, myocardial infarction, due to the use of certain drugs.
As for urine, everything here is also not so clear. Any changes can speak both about serious diseases, and simply about the features of nutrition and lifestyle. Thus, a urinalysis and a blood test should be read and interpreted by the doctor, correlating the results with an anamnesis, complaints and the overall picture.