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How Healthy is Your Heart?

Blood Testing for Heart Health

Cardiovascular disease has been called a silent killer because the condition can develop over time without a person experiencing obvious system. The circulatory system is the the part of the body that governs heart health. A blood test for heart health can reveal changes in the circulatory system and alert physicians that a patient may be in danger of developing cardiovascular disease.

When people order blood tests online, they are taking a positive steps to determine if they have signs of possible disease. Lab tests are a routine step physicians take to assess a person’s health status. Blood testing is an established and accepted protocol for screening for possible disease.

A lipid profile, measuring the bloods cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and C-reactive protein levels are two reliable blood testing protocols established by medical science to detect potential cardiovascular pathology. Even in the absence of active symptoms, lab tests reveal when worrisome conditions are present that may adversely effect a person’s health. As a reliable tool for prognosis, a blood test for heart health notifies physicians and patients that treatment may be required to correct a condition before it causes an active disease process. Early detection is the key to preventing heart conditions. Based on the results, physicians can recommend lifestyle changes or prescribe medication to correct troubling changes in the blood.

The ability to order blood tests online has never been easier. Many physicians and some commercial insurance carriers recommend that people take advantage of the latest technology to take charge of their healthcare. This includes monitoring blood levels for cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, homocystiene levels, lipoprotein, and natriuretic peptides. While a layperson cannot be expected to know how to interpret the results reliably, a licensed physician can review the data in conjunction with a thorough physical examination and review of the patient’s history. With this information in hand, professional recommendations can prevent and preclude active heart disease, potentially increasing lifespan and improving a patient’s quality of life.

Blood testing allows for early detection of heart disease before it is symptomatic. By making lifestyle changes, especially changes in diet and exercise, people can benefit from professional advise based on the lab tests’ results. By taking a proactive approach to their health, using the latest medical technology, people can live more active and satisfying lives without worry that a silent killer may be stalking them while they are unaware.

Do I Have Sickle Cell Disease?

Blood Testing for Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease affects mainly African and Mediterranean descendants. It does appear in other area like the Middle East, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

Sickle cell disease is inherited. If both parents carry the gene, the child will develop sickle cell anemia. If only one parent has the gene, the child will have the trait, but will show no symptoms of the disease.

A blood test determines if the patient has the sickle cell disease or is a carrier of the disease. From the lab test, the blood cells of a person with sickle cell disease will present with red blood cells that are deformed. Healthy red blood cells should be round and carry the much-needed blood throughout the body.

If the blood test determines sickle cell disease, the red blood cells are crescent shaped or also known as sickle shaped. This is due to an abnormal protein in the hemoglobin called hemoglobin S. The normal hemoglobin is called hemoglobin A. Sickle blood cells do not hold up well as regular cells do, which causes the body to destroy the sickle cells quicker. This of course, leads to anemia and is diagnosed with a blood test. If left untreated, there is far more damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, bones and muscles that make an undiagnosed case fatal at an early age.

Luckily, today, all babies born in all 50 states of America have a simple blood test taken from the heel of the baby at birth. It can diagnose whether the baby has normal hemoglobin or if there is abnormal hemoglobin in the lab test.

Under normal circumstances, babies do not present with any symptoms until after the age of 4 months. Lab test can be administered again at this stage to determine how serious the sickle cell disease is.

Some of the tests for diagnosis and monitoring the progression of sickle cell disease in the patients include:

* Bilirubin
* Serum creatinine
* Sickle cell lab test
* CBC blood test
* Hemoglobin electrophoresis lab test
* Serum potassium blood test

Treatment consists of managing and controlling the painful symptoms with medication and trying to reduce the number of crises a patient may have. One of the most important factors in stopping this disease is through genetic testing and counseling to help couples cope with the possibility of not having children if they both carry the gene for this dreadful disease.