Common Blood Tests
Test↕ | Abbreviation↕ | What It Measures↕ | Fasting Required↕ | Typical Turnaround↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Complete Blood Count | CBC | Red cells, white cells, hemoglobin, platelets | No | Same day | Most ordered blood test in the world, screens for anemia, infection, and blood cancers |
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel | CMP | Glucose, electrolytes, kidney function, liver enzymes | Yes (8-12 hours) | Same day | 14 measurements in one panel, checks kidney and liver function plus blood sugar in a single draw |
Basic Metabolic Panel | BMP | Glucose, calcium, sodium, potassium, CO2, BUN, creatinine | Yes (8-12 hours) | Same day | 8 measurements, quicker subset of CMP, standard in emergency rooms for quick assessment |
Lipid Panel | Lipid | Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides | Yes (9-12 hours) | Same day | Heart disease risk assessment, LDL is the bad cholesterol, HDL is the good one |
Hemoglobin A1c | HbA1c | Average blood sugar over 2-3 months | No | Same day to 1 day | Gold standard for diabetes monitoring, measures sugar coating on red blood cells, target below 7% for diabetics |
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone | TSH | Pituitary signal to thyroid gland | No | 1 to 2 days | First-line thyroid screen, high TSH means underactive thyroid, low TSH means overactive |
Liver Function Tests | LFTs | ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, albumin | No | Same day | Detects liver damage from alcohol, hepatitis, medications, or fatty liver disease |
Prothrombin Time / INR | PT/INR | Blood clotting speed | No | Same day | Essential for monitoring warfarin (blood thinner) dosing, INR target usually 2.0 to 3.0 |
C-Reactive Protein | CRP | Systemic inflammation marker | No | Same day to 1 day | Non-specific inflammation indicator, spikes during infections, useful for monitoring autoimmune flares |
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate | ESR | How fast red blood cells settle in a tube | No | 1 hour | One of the oldest lab tests still in use, elevated in arthritis, infection, and cancer |
Vitamin D (25-OH) | 25(OH)D | Vitamin D level in blood | No | 1 to 3 days | Widespread deficiency worldwide, below 20 ng/mL is deficient, essential for bone health |
Iron Studies (Ferritin + TIBC) | Iron panel | Iron stores, iron binding capacity, saturation | Yes (morning preferred) | 1 to 2 days | Distinguishes iron-deficiency anemia from other types, ferritin is the most useful single marker |
Blood Type and Screen | T&S | ABO group, Rh factor, unexpected antibodies | No | 1 hour | Required before any blood transfusion or surgery, O-negative is the universal donor type |
Prostate-Specific Antigen | PSA | Protein produced by prostate gland | No | 1 to 2 days | Prostate cancer screening tool, controversial due to false positives, above 4.0 ng/mL triggers further workup |
Troponin | cTnI / cTnT | Heart muscle damage proteins | No | 1 hour (stat) | Definitive heart attack test, even tiny elevations indicate cardiac injury, serial testing over hours |
Uric Acid | UA | Uric acid level from purine metabolism | No | Same day | Elevated in gout, above 6.8 mg/dL crystals can form in joints, also linked to kidney stones |
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