Blood tests – not just for the sick: timely tests can reveal serious health issues
Blood supplies the body with oxygen, participates in the body's protective reactions, regulates the functioning of the organ system, and performs many other vital functions, so it's no surprise that blood is one of the most important indicators revealing the body's condition.
It's important to prepare properly for blood tests
12 years ago, the blood laboratory Rezus.lt started operating in Lithuania, and today it is one of the most modern and innovative laboratory medical research networks in our country. As the company's Deputy Director for Quality and Technical Activities, Nijolė Liagienė, says, the laboratory performs more than 300 different medical tests.
The range of tests performed is indeed broad: starting with hematological and clinical tests, allergic or trace element and vitamin tests, and ending with cancer markers, sexually transmitted diseases, and genetic tests. Most of these tests are performed from blood – you could say, the main working instrument of the blood laboratory specialists.
Each test has established concentration values, otherwise known as norms. If the test result is lower or higher than the specified norm, various diseases can be suspected, but as the interlocutor notes, blood tests alone are not always enough to establish a diagnosis.
“All people are different, so the diagnosis is confirmed only by collecting symptoms and various results of both blood and instrumental tests in total,” notes N. Liagienė, reminding about the necessity to prepare for blood tests – to perform them according to the established rules, at the right time. “It is best to perform all tests in the morning, fasting for 10-12 hours, without consuming alcohol and not smoking, without stress and tension. For those who want to perform trace element, vitamin, and iron absorption tests, it is necessary not to take any vitamins and supplements for at least 10-14 days. Otherwise, the test answers will be inaccurate.”
The most popular at the moment – COVID-19 tests
N. Liagienė notes that seasonality often influences the types and amounts of tests. However, currently, in the Rezus.lt blood laboratory, as everywhere, most tests are performed to determine the COVID-19 infection, including PCR, antigen, and antibody tests.
“In spring, clients more often apply for allergy detection tests, during summer and autumn, tick-borne disease tests are more often performed, and in late autumn and winter, the most relevant are general blood tests (BKT) related to cold symptoms and protein tests (CRB) that react to infection the fastest,” says the specialist.
Less common but undeservedly forgotten and undoubtedly important is the test for vitamin D concentration, which should be particularly relevant to most during the cold season.
Many people still think that the reserves of vitamin D obtained from the sun in summer will be enough for the whole year. Unfortunately, the body cannot accumulate such amounts of vitamin D reserves, so we may start feeling its deficiency before autumn even reaches its midpoint. To use the mentioned vitamin supplements purposefully during winter-spring, it is first recommended to check the level of vitamin D concentration. It is important to understand that the long-term deficiency of vitamin D can cause various ailments and even very serious health problems – oncological diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic bone and joint pain, or heart function disorders.
The importance of testing vitamin D concentration is also shown by the fact that it is included in the category of preventive tests. However, as the specialist notes, most people still follow the mistaken belief that tests should be carried out only when trouble strikes.
“It is recommended to perform blood tests prophylactically at least once a year, even if no ailments are felt. Such tests are very useful for vegetarians and vegans, who are at a higher risk of developing anaemia, known as the 'silent killer', as well as those frequently suffering from various colds. It is highly recommended to perform preventive tests for people whose family members, grandparents, or parents, had thyroid diseases, as endocrine disorders, often appearing during puberty, are hereditary,” says N. Liagienė.
Good well-being can be misleading
Although various symptoms usually warn about the onset of diseases, health problems can also occur without feeling any side effects. As the specialist notes, good well-being is not always a guarantee of good health.
“Preventive tests and modern diagnostic tools help predict or detect a disease at an early stage, so necessary measures can be taken to overcome the disease. If you are over 40 years old, you should check your cholesterol, glucose levels in your blood annually. Diseases related to these indicators – atherosclerosis and diabetes – affect three-quarters of the world's population. Of course, deviations from the norm do not always indicate a disease and vice versa – a good blood test does not always mean that there is no disease, but if a person is healthy, fluctuations in blood parameters should be small and not exceed the norm. In any case, after performing preventive blood tests independently and receiving results outside the norm, we advise in all cases to visit your family doctor and discuss the results with them,” recommends N. Liagienė.
As the specialist states, Rezus.lt's goal is to provide not only quality services but also to encourage people to take care of their health, preventing diseases and ailments in advance.
“We remind you that people have the opportunity to participate in 5 preventive test programs, which are compensated by the Health Insurance Fund and assigned by a family doctor according to the age of the residents. For those who do not belong to the specified age group but want to know the status of their internal organs (liver, pancreas, kidneys, thyroid, heart, and blood vessels) prophylactically, we have created preventive test programs that can be performed for a fee. We are pleased that the circle of clients checking their health prophylactically is expanding, and there is no shortage of young people among them,” says N. Liagienė.