10 Most Important Tests
Fasting Required: Yes – 10 to 12 hours

Specimen: Blood

Results: 7-10 Business Days

Description:
10 most important tests people over 40 should take each year.

Tests Included:

Comprehensive Wellness Profile (CWP) is the #1 ordered test – year after year! Over 50 individual laboratory tests screen for cardiovascular risk, major organ function, anemia, diabetes, infection, blood disease and other indications of illness. This panel is routinely ordered as a part of an annual exam. It includes:

Lipids: This is a group of simple blood tests that reveal important information about the types, amount and distribution of the various types of fats (lipids) in the bloodstream. Includes Total Cholesterol, HDL (good) Cholesterol, LDL (bad) Cholesterol, Risk Ratio (good to total), and Triglycerides.

Complete Blood Count(CBC’s): It is a blood test that checks hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Used as a broad screening test to check for such disorders as anemia, infection, and many other diseases. Changing levels of red or white blood cells can indicate disease or infection and are very helpful in a health screening.

Fluids and Electrolytes: Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. They are in your blood, urine and body fluids. Maintaining the right balance of electrolytes helps your body’s blood chemistry, muscle action and other processes. Sodium, potassium, chlorine, and carbon dioxide are all electrolytes. You get them from the foods you eat and the fluids you drink.
Levels of electrolytes in your body can become too low or too high. That can happen when the amount of water in your body changes, causing dehydration or overhydration. Causes include some medicines, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating or kidney problems. Problems most often occur with levels of sodium, potassium or calcium. It includes: Chloride, Potassium, Sodium and Carbon Dioxide.

TSH: The thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced in the pituitary gland and stimulates the production of thyroid hormones. The TSH helps identify an underactive or overactive thyroid state.

Liver: The liver panel includes several blood tests measuring specific proteins and liver enzymes in the blood. This combination of blood tests is designed to give you a complete picture of the state of your liver and help detect liver disease and measure potential liver damage. Some of the blood tests are associated with the integrity of the liver cells (i.e. ALT), some with liver function (i.e. albumin) and some with disease linked to the biliary system (i.e. alkaline phosphatase). Includes: Albumin, Alkaline Phosphatase, Alanine Transaminase (ALT or SGPT), Aspartate Transaminase (AST or SGOT), Total Bilirubin, Total Protein, LDH, Total Globulin, Albumin/Globulin Ration and GGT.

Kidney: This basic metabolic panel is a group of blood tests that provides information about your body’s metabolism. This test is done to evaluate kidney function, blood acid/base balance, blood sugar levels. It includes Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, BUN/Creatinine Ratio, eGFR, and Uric Acid.

Glucose Changes in blood glucose are a good indicator of metabolic function and can help detect diseases like diabetes mellitus. Since diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease in adults, it is important to monitor for this disorder when evaluating kidney function.

Mineral and Bone: In addition to its mechanical functions, the bone is a reservoir for minerals (a “metabolic” function). The bone stores 99% of the body’s calcium and 85% of the phosphorus. It is very important to keep the blood level of calcium within a narrow range. If blood calcium gets too high or too low, the muscles and nerves will not function. In times of need, for example, during pregnancy, calcium can be removed from the bones. It includes: Total Iron, Calcium, and Phosphorus.

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy:
Also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because the body manufactures the vitamin after being exposed to sunshine. Ten to 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times weekly is enough to produce the body’s requirement of vitamin D. Needed for strong bones and teeth, Vitamin D helps your body absorb the amount of calcium it needs. It also has other roles in the body, including modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation. There are associations between low Vitamin D levels and peripheral vascular disease, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile diabetes, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Foods that are rich in Vitamin D:
•milk fortified with vitamin D
•fish
•egg yolks
•liver
•fortified cereal

Ferritin:
Composed of iron and protein, Ferritin is a storehouse for iron in the body. Measurement provides an accurate picture of how much iron you have available in reserve. Low Ferritin is a sign of iron deficiency. Ferritin is high with inflammation, infection, liver disease, iron overload, certain amends and certain cancers (leukemia and lymphoma).

C-Reactive Protein, Cardiac (CRP,hs):
A critical component of the immune system and can be predictive of future risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death, and the development of peripheral arterial disease. Individuals with elevated levels of CRP have a risk about 2 to 3 times higher than the risk of those with low levels.

Testosterone, Total & Free:
Testosterone is a hormone that causes male characteristics. The blood level is used by men to investigate abnormal sexual development and sexual dysfunction. Small amounts are produced in women’s ovaries and levels are tested to evaluate virilization.

DHEA,s:
DHEA-S is the child hormone of DHEA and serves as a building block for making the male sex hormone testosterone and the female sex hormone estrogen. DHEA-s concentrations peak after puberty and then the levels tend to decline with age. Adrenal tumors, cancers, and adrenal hyperplasia can lead to the overproduction of DHEA-s. The rate of secretion of DHEA-S into the blood stream is only slightly more than the rate observed for DHEA.

Estradiol (E2):
Estradiol, also known as E2, is the most active of the estrogens. For women, it is important to look at the relationship between estradiol and progesterone in evaluating menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood disorders, and aging skin.

In men, high levels of estradiol are associated with abdominal fat, enlargement of the prostate and cardiovascular risk.

In both men and women, low levels of estradiol are associated with osteoporosis.

Hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c):
This non-fasting test, also known as A1c, HbA1c, Glycohemoglobin, or Glycated hemoglobin, indicates how well you have controlled your diabetes over the last few months. Even though you may have some very high or very low blood glucose values, Hemoglobin A1C will give you a picture of the average amount of glucose in your blood over that time period. While the Hemoglobin A1C is the standard tool to determine blood sugar control for patients with diabetes, it is not a substitute for daily, routine blood glucose testing.

Progesterone:
Progesterone balances and offsets the powerful effects of estrogen. An imbalance between progesterone and estrogen can cause weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, migraines, and even more debilitating conditions such as cancer, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and osteoporosis in women. In men, the imbalance can cause weight gain, loss of libido and prostate enlargement.

Homocysteine:
Homocysteine is an amino acid that plays a role in destroying the lining of your artery walls, promoting the formation of blood clots, and also accelerates the buildup of scar tissue. High levels may increase the chance of heart disease and stroke, especially if you have other risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, or family history.

Note: Result turnaround times are an estimate and are not guaranteed. Our reference lab may need additional time due to weather, holidays, confirmation/repeat testing, or equipment maintenance.

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