Kinds Of Blood Tests

Learn about the kinds of blood tests. Blood is very essential body fluid as it’s the only medium through which the essential nutrients are distributed through the body. In blood, there are various chemical contents, enzymes, blood cells whose presence must be determined both quantitatively and qualitatively. This thus calls for carrying out different kinds of blood tests. Among the common blood tests carried out in most instances are:

– Complete blood count tests
– Blood clotting tests
– Blood enzyme tests
– Blood chemistry tests

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

In these kinds of blood tests, various constituents of blood are checked. Various bloods are checked whether they are functioning properly as per the required standards or not. It’s normally aimed at identifying various abnormalities in the blood. It’s the most common test of all kinds of blood tests. Among the cells tested are the red blood cells, the white blood cells and platelets.
Red blood cells ensure that all the tissues in the blood receive the required amount of oxygen and any abnormality with these cells might result to anaemia. Among the test carried out on red blood cells include the total amount of space occupied by the cells and the size of the blood cells in the body as this will determine the amount of oxygen transported by the red blood cells.
The number of red blood cells is also determined as they protect the body against any kind of infection. Any abnormality in these cells will always lead to diseases such as blood cancer.

Plate lets are also tested as they help in blood clotting process. Abnormality in these cells will always leads to thrombotic disorder or excess bleeding in case of any injury. These kinds of blood tests on the platelets are also referred to as blood clotting tests or coagulation tests. Various proteins which facilitate plod clotting tests are checked to be in the right proportion as their deficiency will lead to excessive bleeding while when in excess/ abnormal may result to blood clotting in the
blood vessels.

Blood chemistry

These kinds of tests are also referred to as the basic metabolic panel. It’s meant to test various chemical contents in the blood. These various chemicals may include the blood sugar which leads to diabetic condition while in excess, amount of calcium which may lead to bone disease, the electrolytes which help in maintaining base balance and various fluid levels. This is just a few examples of chemicals in the blood. In fact vitamins and minerals found in the body are all referred to as chemicals.

The blood enzyme tests

Enzymes play an important role in digestion. They control all kinds of chemical reactions during any digestion process. Among the kinds of blood test carried are troponin and creatine kinase tests.

The creatine kinase blood test helps in determining whether the heart is at risk or not. CK-MB is normally released when the heart is damaged. If its presence is in excess in the blood then the heart is at a higher risk of failing to work effectively.

Other kinds of blood test are the troponin test whose presence in the blood may indicate signs of heart attack. They help in the contraction of muscles and they normally leak when muscles are injured.