A quick guide to important laboratory tests you must know: Your numbers matter

Maybe you have heard the news about a popular personality who recently passed away, or a friend on social media asking for prayers for health reasons. Was that Maria? Maybe there was this relative or a neighbor you bumped along who’s not on the pinkest of health, and suddenly being in mid-life, your mind wandered off somewhere and you got a little scared. Well, that’s completely normal. But it definitely is something that reminds you to be mindful again of living a positive life, nurturing a healthy body and being proactive about your physical and mental health. Good news is, there are some blood works and laboratory tests you must know and probably get a hold of your own numbers to get ahead of any health concern which may affect our otherwise healthy body. Here are some tests that you may want to consider having yourself tested.

GLUCOSE

One of the most common and critical tests to detect blood sugar, a primary energy source is the blood glucose test. Are you always thirsty, hungry and urinating more frequently recently? These are some symptoms related to diabetes mellitus, a very common type of metabolic disease that affects a lot of people worldwide. This could lead to all sorts of medical conditions such as kidney disease if left undiagnosed and untreated. Also you may experience easy fatigability or nausea, which may be due to low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). Consider testing your glucose or sugar levels in your blood if you experience any of those.

Types of Glucose Test

There are several types of glucose tests used in diagnosing and managing diabetes and other metabolic conditions:

• Fasting Blood Sugar/Glucose Test, which measures blood sugar after an overnight fast (typically 8–12 hours without eating).

• Random Blood Sugar/Glucose Test, which measures blood sugar at random (done any time of the day)

*Typically used for screening for diabetes or prediabetes

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

It measures blood sugar after fasting and then measuring again after drinking a predetermined amount of glucose solution.

*Used for diagnosing gestational diabetes (during pregnancy) and type 2 diabetes when screening test isn't conclusive.

• Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) Test

This test measures the average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. If a longer-term view of blood glucose control is needed, a physician may need to request this.

LIPID PROFILE

You may have registered high numbers lately on that BP device you are using to monitor your blood pressure. Or you want to maintain the good numbers you have. Measuring the lipid (fat) levels in your blood to assess the risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke and hypertension may be needed. It is composed of the following:

• Total cholesterol

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

• Triglycerides

LIVER FUNCTION TESTS

Liver being the largest internal organ in our body plays many important roles in our body’s function. To evaluate the health of the liver and diagnose liver diseases like hepatitis, cirrhosis, or fatty liver disease, these are the tests that may be used to assess:

• Alanine transaminase (ALT)

• Aspartate transaminase (AST)

• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP)

• Bilirubin

• Albumin

• Prothrombin time (PT)

RENAL FUNCTION TESTS

Some water retention around your ankles? Less urine daily output? Renal, pertaining to kidney function may be assessed through these tests, so a physician may request these to help in diagnosing kidney disease.

• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)

• Creatinine

• Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC)

This test may detect a variety of disorders, including anemia, infection, and many other diseases, and generally to evaluate overall health. It includes Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, White Blood Cell (WBC) count, White blood Cell Differential Count, Hemoglobin (Hb), Hematocrit (Hct), Platelet count and blood indexes.

URINALYSIS

Burning sensation when peeing? Frequent trips to the comfort room? A routine urinalysis is a simple test to examine for signs of disease, urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney disease, or diabetes.

THYROID FUNCTION TESTS

Sudden weight loss or gain without any significant change in lifestyle? Slowed or increased heart rate? Feeling tired always? It would be beneficial to have your thyroid function assessed early to diagnose if you have hypo or hyperthyroidism.

Here are examples thyroid function tests needed by the physician to check your thyroid health.

• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

• Free thyroxine (Free T4)

• Free triiodothyronine (Free T3)

• Thyroid antibodies (e.g., Anti-TPO, Anti-TG for autoimmune thyroid conditions)

These are some tests that guide your doctor to evaluate you in diagnosing and treating any problem with your organ and body functions, and also in preventing some conditions that may otherwise be prevented. These tests are requested only a qualified physician, so it is best to regularly check with your trusted doctor.