Blood tests are able to determine whether various substances in your blood are in a normal and healthy range. Typically, a normal range is defined by the levels that are present in 95% of the healthy population for each demographic. Blood test results can be outside of the normal range due to disease, disorder, diet, hormones, exercise, medicines, and alcohol use.
While many medical problems can not use a simple blood test for a diagnosis, they can help show more about a patient’s health. Blood tests are also able to identify potential health problems early on when treatments can be the most effective. Here are eight things your blood test reveals about you.
1. Your biological age
This number compares the health of your systems compared to others who are the same age. While you may be older, if you are in great health then your body may be comparable to someone who is a few years younger. Some lifestyle choices such as smoking, obesity, and alcohol can add several years to your biological age. Choosing to live a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise can, in turn, turn back your biological clock.
2. Your long-term risk for Alzheimer’s
Proteins in your blood can indicate if you will develop Alzheimer’s disease a decade before symptoms of the disease are present. While this research is new, having a test to identify those who are at-risk can lead to effective treatments.
3. Your History of Concussion
It is important for people to know if they have had a concussion because a subsequent injury can be extremely dangerous. Blood tests for specific protein markers can detect a concussion for up to a week after it occurs.
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4. Hydration
Dehydration has many negative impacts on overall health. Almost a quarter of people in assisted living homes are dehydrated due to the fact that they are not drinking enough water. A blood test, however, can tell if someone is sufficiently hydrated.
5. Depression
Clinical depression and run of the mill negativity are two very different battles. Experts have believed for years that it wasn’t possible to differentiate the two with brain scans or blood tests. A recent study, however, found a specific type of brain chemical that is also present in the blood, which can measure serotonin. This may help doctors treat clinical depression.
6. Cold Virus
Blood tests are able to reveal all previous viruses and colds. Because your body creates antibodies in response to illness, those antibodies stay in your bloodstream for the rest of your life. Knowing which of these antibodies are present through a blood test helps doctors to determine the best method of treatment.
7. Alcoholism Risk
People who are at a biological predisposition to alcoholism have an elevated chemical in their blood called PEth. This blood chemical has long been linked to alcoholism and may help doctors effectively treat the disease.
8. Anxiety
Your blood releases a specific protein when stressed or anxious. If doctors look for the presence and level of this protein in a blood test result, they can tell how severe anxiety is.
It is important for everyone to have regular blood tests to detect anything that may be going wrong. It is best to treat diseases and disorders as soon as they are found, so just because you are not experiencing any negative health symptoms, does not mean that something is not on its way to the surface. Getting a blood test done can be early prevention of a more serious disease down the road. The most common blood test is the CBC, or Complete Blood Count, which can help to detect blood disorders, infections, and diseases such as blood cancers, anemia, clotting problems, and immune system disorders. This comprehensive test measures a wide variety of substances in the blood.
