Sheldon M. Campbell, MD, PhD, FCAP, discusses blood tests and differences between the tests your doctor may order and the ones you can arrange yourself.
You’re probably no stranger to having a nurse draw multiple vials of blood at annual checkups. You might not think twice about this (except, ouch!). But once evaluated, these samples reveal how well your kidneys and liver are functioning. Some blood tests can also help diagnose a health problem, such as an infection, or monitor chronic illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes. Still others reveal biomarkers, substances in your blood that may indicate a higher risk for certain conditions, such as heart disease.
Until recently, you almost always had to go through your doctor to get blood tests. Today, for certain blood work, there’s no need to set foot in a medical office. There are now many tests you can order on your own to check everything from cholesterol levels to food sensitivities to “cell aging.”
“There are reasons we don’t screen for all of these biomarkers in everybody. Many are for diseases that are extraordinarily rare,” says Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD, associate director of clinical microbiology for Yale-New Haven Health in Connecticut, and chair of the Point of Care Testing Committee for the College of American Pathologists.
Read the full article:Â Blood Tests You Need (and Don’t)