Reading Blood Test Results

Introduction

Blood tests are an important diagnostic tool used by medical professionals throughout the world. These test can detect everything from risks for heart disease to traces of illicit drugs in the system. When you get your blood tests back it can be confusing to understand how to read them correctly.

Glucose

A glucose blood test measure the amount of sugar in your blood. This is an accurate measure to help diagnose risk for diseases such as diabetes. Normal fasting glucose levels fall between 60 and 100. A level of 100 to 125 is considered at risk for diabetes. And the American Diabetes Association states that anything above 125 is considered a diabetic level.

Blood Fat

Blood fat tests, or cholesterol testing, is a common blood test to determine risks for heart disease or heart attacks. This test focuses on your good cholesterol levels (HDL) and your bad cholesterol levels (LDL). Healthy cholesterol levels should read less than 200, with LDL cholesterol at a level less than 100, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. If your LDL cholesterol levels are above 160 your physician will want to take preventative measures such as a strict diet and cholesterol lowering medication.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are often tested at the same time as a blood fat. Triglycerides are a type of fat that if found in high enough concentration in the blood can cause heart disease and pancreatitis. A healthy triglyceride level is under 150 mg/dl. A reading of over 500 mg/dl shows a high risk for heart disease and requires immediate action to lower those levels.

Complete Blood Count

A complete blood count test, or CBC, measures the amount of blood cells currently active in your system. A CBC looks at a number of things. First of all a CBC looks at your white blood cell (WBC) count. A high WBC means that you possible are facing an infection or in rare cases leukemia. A low blood cell count can mean a blood marrow problem or in extremely rare cases an HIV/AIDS infection. Another number that a CBC looks at is a platelet count (PLT). Your platelets are responsible for helping clot your body when it is bleeding. A low platelet count can be dangerous as you can lose a lot of blood quite quickly if you have an injury that causes blood loss. A high platelet count can also be an issues as it can cause blood clots which in some cases can kill you.

Resources

• How to Interpret Common Blood Tests