What Is Blood Testing?

Dr.Neda Moeini, ND 05 Jul 2024

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Blood tests examine and measure different components of the blood. Blood testing is one of the most common methods of medical testing, used to provide important information about countless aspects of health.

Your doctor may order a blood test as part of a regular checkup, to look for diseases or health conditions, to assess the function of your organs, or to evaluate how well a medical treatment is working.

Broadly, the roles of blood testing in patient care include screening, diagnosis, and monitoring.

Screening tests are ordered to check for medical conditions in people without symptoms. A goal of screening tests is to find medical problems early when treatment may be more effective. Blood tests are used to screen for a wide

Variety of medical conditions including certain types of cancer, high cholesterol, diabetes, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

Diagnostic tests are used to detect or rule out a specific medical condition. When making a diagnosis, blood tests are often considered alongside other factors like your medical history, vital signs, and the results of a physical exam and imaging tests.

Monitoring tests can be used to check a person’s health over time and assess whether medical treatment is working. Periodic monitoring tests may be used to keep track of chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease or to regularly assess the amount of a specific medicine in your body.

The complete blood count (CBC) is an essential comprehensive blood panel that allows your doctor to evaluate each type of cell in your blood.

The CBC measures the number of red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets (PLT). Each of these types of blood cells performs important functions, so determining their levels can provide important health information.
A CBC may be used to help diagnose a range of health conditions and also monitor how the body is affected by different diseases or medical treatments.