Chemistry – Common Tests
Glucose - the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is a measurement for diabetes mellitus
Synonym: Blood Sugar
Most of the food we eat is turned into Glucose, a type of sugar. Shortly after we eat, the pancreas, a small organ located beneath the stomach, produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin helps the body tissues absorb glucose from the blood. If our body does not make enough insulin, or the body does not use insulin well, glucose begins to build up in the blood. This condition is called diabetes.
Blood Glucose is the first and most common test for the diagnosis and management of diabetes. Blood Glucose levels are most useful when the patient has been fasting (has had nothing to eat) for 8 or more hours.
Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride and carbon dioxide) - these substances maintain fluid and blood pressure balance and are essential for the function of most body systems
Enzymes (CK, LD, AST, ALT) - help to diagnose heart and liver diseases
Creatinine and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) – tests that help monitor kidney function
Calcium – screens for several conditions related to bone, heart, nerves, kidneys and teeth
PSA – (Prostate Specific Antigen) ordered to screen men for prostate cancer along with digital rectal exam.
Uric Acid - may indicate gout
Cholesterol - high amount is associated with heart and blood vessel diseases
Cholesterol Facts
Cholesterol is a white, waxy substance that is found naturally in the body. It is produced by the liver to build cell walls and make certain hormones. You can't function without a certain amount of cholesterol, but the body makes all that it needs. And yet, because of the animal products we eat, many of us have an unhealthy surplus of cholesterol.
Too much cholesterol in the blood is a major cause of heart disease and blood vessel disease. Cholesterol forms plaques that clog the arteries and eventually choke off the supply of blood to the heart (causing heart attacks) and to the brain (leading to stroke). By lowering your cholesterol level you may be able to stop plaques from developing in the arteries, and shrink plaques that have already formed.
More About Cholesterol Facts
"Good" and "Bad" Cholesterol
If you have already had a heart attack or bypass surgery, your health care provider should check your cholesterol level regularly. Keeping the level low is one of the best insurances against blocked arteries.
Your cholesterol level can be broken down into two parts:
- The high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is referred to as the "good" cholesterol because of its ability to take cholesterol and remove it from the arteries.
- The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or the "bad" cholesterol, which builds up and clogs the arteries.
An HDL cholesterol reading above 60 is very good. The higher the HDL cholesterol number, the lower your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Your LDL cholesterol reading should be lower than 130 -- and the lower, the better.
If you do not know your cholesterol readings, call your health care provider for testing. The cholesterol test is best done after a 12-hour fast and by a laboratory that measures HDL, LDL, and other blood components. Cholesterol screenings that are sometimes done at health fairs and shopping centers are only somewhat helpful, because they do not usually measure HDL and LDL cholesterol separately. A triglyceride level is also an important component of Cholesterol testing.
Triglyceride - level reflects the amount of fat in the blood at the time the test is taken.
A triglyceride level of less than 200 (in a fasting patient) is considered good. Cholesterol, HDL and LDL, and triglyceride results are most meaningful when the patient has been fasting overnight (had no food or drinks with calories) for 12 hours.