Information on Blood-Tests

cholesterol blood test

Which is the simplest medical test that just pricks and needs no surgical instrument but a simple plain needle? The answer is medical blood tests. Blood testing is done by collecting a blood sample extracted from a vein in the arm or by using the fingerprick and then sending it to the lab for analysis. The blood test results determine the biochemical and physiological states like drug effectiveness, disease mineral content and organ function or drug tests. Though it is known as blood test, routine tests are done on plasma or serum rather than blood cells.

There are different types of blood tests like biochemical analysis or specialized blood tests like arterial blood gas or glucose test. Tests determining STD require fasting blood test wherein no food consumption is allowed 8-12 hours prior to blood sampling. Blood tests can be done for determining the lack or presence of various diseases like thyroid blood tests, liver blood tests, and blood tests for cancer, cholesterol blood tests or pregnancy blood tests.

Blood tests also have alternatives like saliva tests which prove to be more cost effective as researched by the scientists. A micro-chip called micro emulsion is developed by the researchers for blood tests which can be very cost effective. A lab-on-a-chip is developed that can diagnose diseases within 10 minutes and it is called Self-powered Integrated Microfluidic Blood Analysis System (SIMBAS).

Online healthcare services emphasize on checking and determining one’s blood group as it helps in case of emergency either for donation or for blood transfusion. There are many blood donation drives and camps wherein people donate blood and store it in blood banks for emergency cases. 15th June is celebrated as the World Blood Donor Day in many parts of the world.