What Does the Carotid Artery Do?
Your arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to other areas of your body, and your carotid artery is just one of your major arteries. Read on to learn more about this artery and how you can keep it healthy.
What Can We Detect with a Blood Test?
Doctor visits are essential for millions of Americans to help in understanding their health issues, catching early signs of conditions, and making changes to live healthier lifestyles. Lab testing is a vital way for doctors to get information about your health, and blood tests are an extremely common and important part of lab work.
Whether you’re getting a checkup, making a trip to the emergency room, or getting tested for specific conditions, blood tests are invaluable for understanding your current health and detecting possible risks of diseases in the future. Let’s look at some of the many types of blood tests you may get and the ways they can help you stay healthy.
If you live in the Little River, South Carolina area and need blood work or other types of lab tests, Dr. Rogers Walker and Walker Urgent & Family Care have a comprehensive list of diagnostic tests and other medical services to help keep you healthy.
Here are the types of blood tests you can expect and what they test for:
Complete blood count
This test measures many components in your blood, including red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, platelets, the average size of a person’s red blood cells (mean corpuscular volume, or MCV), and how much space red blood cells take up in your blood (hematocrit). It can be used to identify blood disorders (like anemia), diseases, clotting issues, inflammation, infection, and immune system problems.
Blood enzyme
Blood enzymes are produced by your body to help control chemical reactions, and high levels of enzymes like troponin can lead to heart attacks. When the heart is injured, it produces troponin, which is usually undetectable and normal levels. Blood enzyme tests check for elevated levels for evidence of heart attacks, heart injury, stroke, seizures, and pulmonary infarction.
Blood clotting
Also known as a coagulation panel, this checks for proteins that help with blood clotting. If you have a blood clotting disorder or are taking a blood thinning medication, this will likely be monitored regularly.
Lipoprotein panel
Lipoproteins are made up of fat and proteins that carry cholesterol through your bloodstream. This test, also referred to as a lipid panel, examines your cholesterol levels, including low-density lipoproteins (LDL, or bad cholesterol), high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or good cholesterol), triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels. This helps to assess the risks of cardiovascular disease.
Metabolic panel
The basic metabolic panel (BMP) looks at the level of chemicals in your blood plasma, the yellowish liquid section of your blood that holds the blood cells, proteins, and other components. This test can be used to check for problems in a variety of areas, including calcium levels, glucose levels, electrolyte levels, and excess waste products in your kidneys.
Blood tests are one of many tools to help in detecting and catching conditions for treatment. If you need blood tests for any reason, make an appointment with Dr. Walker and Walker Urgent & Family Care today.
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