At a Blood test, blood sample or Blood test various laboratory tests are used to obtain information from blood samples. Since blood is the essence of our life, it contains a variety of information that allows conclusions to be drawn about the state of health.
What is a blood test?
The Blood tests can not only be performed on whole blood, but also on serum or blood plasma. Despite the many different examination options, there is usually one blood sample sufficient, as most tests can be performed on just 2 ml of blood.
Using a blood test, it is also possible to draw conclusions about the condition of individual organs. This is achieved with the help of certain proteins, the so-called enzymes, which are found in the blood and whose presence provides information about the state of health of the respective organ.
However, many other tests can be done as part of a blood test. Therefore, a basic distinction is made between a small and a large blood count.
Function, effect & goals
As part of the small blood count, the values of the blood platelets, also called thrombocytes, the white blood cells, called leukocytes, and the red blood cells, the erythrocytes, are examined.
The hemoglobin concentration is also examined. This kind of Blood test allows conclusions to be drawn about the general health of the patient. These values can also be used to determine whether the patient has a weakened immune system, sources of inflammation in the body, deficiency symptoms or problems with blood clotting.
If a complete blood count is carried out as part of a blood test, this serves to break down the information in the small blood count more precisely. The shape of the red blood cells and the percentages of the different types of blood cells can be determined by counting or taking a blood smear.
In the organs, a blood test using certain enzymes can provide information about the health of the heart, bile, liver, digestive organs, pancreas and muscles.
A blood culture can be used to identify certain pathogens such as bacteria or viruses. The attempt is made to multiply and thereby identify the pathogens. This allows the doctor to find out the right therapy. This type of blood test can be useful in the case of blood poisoning, inflammation of the inner lining of the heart, unexplained fever or pneumonia.
If the blood test is to examine the coagulation properties of the blood, a blood coagulation test is carried out. The consistency of the blood test is examined using different test methods. Blood clotting tests are used for upcoming operations, susceptibility to thrombosis and to monitor the use of blood thinning agents.
If the blood test is carried out to determine whether there is a focus of inflammation in the body, a test can be carried out to determine the rate of sedimentation of blood cells. The speed at which blood cells fall is accelerated or slowed down by various infectious diseases, so this blood test allows conclusions to be drawn about the type of infection.
A blood test of the blood serum can reveal various antibodies. These in turn indicate an existing infection. However, since some antibodies remain in the blood permanently, this type of blood test is of limited use.
Since the levels of certain hormones in the blood can indicate impaired function of certain glands, a blood test can also be carried out for the hormones in the blood. However, this examination can not only be used to check the hormonal glands, but also enables a pregnancy to be determined and its controlled course.
However, it is also important to have constant values for certain electrically charged particles, the electrolytes, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate or sodium. These are needed to maintain important body functions. Since an insufficient value of the various electrolytes can lead to serious problems such as cardiac arrhythmias, muscle weakness or paralysis, such a blood test is helpful for researching the causes of the above and many other diseases.
Risks & dangers
When taking blood for a Blood test In principle, side effects or dangers must not be expected. The puncture site is kept as small as possible by the doctor and further bleeding is stopped by immediately applying pressure to the puncture site. However, it is important that the blood tests do not jump to conclusions because many results can indicate different diseases. For this reason, the results should always be cross-checked by means of various examinations and a thorough anamnesis.
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