A routine blood test, often a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) or Full Blood Count (FBC), shows your overall health by checking components like red/white blood cells, platelets (FBC), blood sugar, kidney function (urea, creatinine), liver enzymes, electrolytes (sodium, potassium), calcium, and sometimes lipids (cholesterol) or thyroid hormones, revealing signs of infection, anemia, diabetes, liver/kidney issues, and inflammation before symptoms appear.
The Role of Standard Blood Tests in Public Health
These tests help doctors detect common conditions like anaemia, infection, high cholesterol, liver dysfunction and signs of diabetes. They are essential for diagnosing acute symptoms and managing chronic illnesses.
"The most common labs ordered during annual visits include screening for diabetes with a glucose check, cholesterol with a lipid panel, and thyroid disease with a TSH," Dawn explains. "And sometimes a complete blood cell count to check for anemia and infection."
A routine blood test usually includes: CBC: Checks blood cells for anaemia or infection. Metabolic Panel: Checks blood sugar, calcium, electrolytes, kidney, and liver function. Lipid Profile: Measures cholesterol levels.
Routine blood tests may help detect increased risk for heart disease, prediabetes or diabetes, kidney or liver problems, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and thyroid imbalances.
The most frequently used inflammatory markers include acute-phase proteins, essentially CRP, serum amyloid A, fibrinogen and procalcitonin, and cytokines, predominantly TNFα, interleukins 1β, 6, 8, 10 and 12 and their receptors and IFNγ. Some cytokines appear to be disease-specific.
These are usually notes which the computer generates if a blood test result is abnormal, or out of 'normal range'. Understandably, this can make you feel worried. But you can be reassured that these flags will be reviewed by your GP or other health professional, who will let you know if there is a cause for concern.
Your doctor typically orders blood tests for you during a physical exam or to screen for specific conditions like heart disease, thyroid disease, cancer, diabetes and sexually transmitted infections. They can also monitor the effectiveness of treatments.
A blood test is useful for:
A full blood count (FBC) checks red cells, white cells, and platelets. Low red cells or hemoglobin may indicate anemia, while high or low white cells can point to infection or immune problems. Platelet counts highlight whether your blood clots normally.
The medical significance of a single result that is slightly high or slightly low may be difficult to determine. This is why a doctor may repeat a test, and why they may look at results from your previous tests. However, a result outside the reference range may indicate a problem and warrant further investigation.
If you've ever wondered if you might have a nutritional deficiency, you can now get tested at your convenience with Labcorp OnDemand's wide range of vitamin and mineral blood tests. Optimize your health and wellness by finding out what nutrients you might be lacking and taking steps to improve your nutrition.
A blood test may show you have low red blood cell levels (anemia). If healthcare providers look at your cells under a microscope, they may see your red blood cells are larger than normal or shaped differently than normal red blood cells. These differences may be signs of blood disorders or blood cancers.
Most Common Blood Disorders and Causes
A complete blood count, also called a CBC , usually doesn't give all the answers about a diagnosis. Results outside the expected range may or may not need follow-up. A health care provider might need to look at the results of other tests as well as the results of a CBC .
Type 2 diabetes can be detected easily during a routine screening exam and blood test. However, it frequently can go undiagnosed for years unless a physician draws a blood sample to check the blood glucose. In the early stages of Type 2 diabetes, you experience few to no noticeable signs of the disease.
The full blood count (FBC) is one of the most commonly requested tests and provides important information about the kinds and numbers of cells in the blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Abnormalities in any of these types of cells can indicate the presence of important medical disorders.
5 Routine Blood Tests That Help Detect Health Issues Early
Two crucial symptoms you should never ignore are sudden, severe headaches (like "the worst headache of your life") and sudden weakness, numbness, or slurred speech on one side of the body, as these can signal a stroke or brain issue, requiring immediate medical help. Other critical signs include chest pain, shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, and persistent confusion or changes in bowel habits, all pointing to potentially serious underlying conditions.
Blood tests can help to diagnose some heart conditions, including a heart attack, or check if you have a risk factor for one, such as high cholesterol levels. Find out why you might need a blood test and what happens when you have one.
Common Red Flags Across Health and Social Care
These often include: Rapid deterioration in someone's condition. Unexplained marks, bruises, or injuries. Failure to follow correct procedures, especially with medication.
In clinical practice, serum IL-6 levels are usually applied to inflammatory or infectious diseases. Increased IL-6 levels have been reported in patients diagnosed with breast, cervical, esophageal, head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancers.
Besides C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and procalcitonin (PCT), other markers of inflammation include serum amyloid A, cytokines, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein, plasma viscosity, ceruloplasmin, hepcidin, and haptoglobin.
If you've ever cut your finger, bruised a toe or had a throat infection, you have likely experienced at least some of the four signs of inflammation: redness, swelling, pain and heat. Acute inflammation is your body's natural response to illness, injury or infection and usually resolves on its own.