It’s a general practice that men usually prefer to visit the doctor’s clinic only when they have signs and symptoms of any disease. However, if it’s your first well man test, you may find some blood tests strange. Don’t worry; we are here to guide you about their procedure and other related details.
Blood tests are preferred during a well man test because blood is the universal sample. In addition, blood is the best specimen to check whether it’s bacteraemia, viremia or disturbance in the ALT level; blood is the best specimen study.
A doctor usually prescribes the most common blood tests, along with their procedure and other details.
1 – CBC Test
Doctors recommend this test when they notice any signs and symptoms of blood deficiency or a high infection rate. The term CBC stands for a complete blood count. The test is not complicated at all.
Blood is drawn from the vein with the help of a syringe. The process is slightly painful because of the needle’s pricking, and you may feel pain at the site for some minutes.
The blood is transferred into a lavender top vial which contains an anti-coagulant called EDTA. It prevents blood clotting by chelating the calcium ions in the blood.
Then the blood sample is inserted into a haematology analyser machine, which enumerates the blood cells based on electrical impedance.
After a few minutes, the results are compared with the normal range.
2 – STD test
If you are married or 18+ then you should provide your sample for sexually transmitted diseases like hepatitis, HIV and Herpes Simplex. A screening test is first performed to detect the presence of the infective organism.
For screening tests, rapid diagnostic kits are used based on antigen-antibody interaction. The screening results come within 10-20 minutes, depending on the incubation time.
Whereas for Polymerase chain reaction, you might wait for atleast 2-3 hours. The process is quite lengthy as genome extraction is the first process. Several chemicals are used for the lysis of cells and intact extraction of the genetic material.
Then, the genome is amplified to detect the load of the infective agent. The price of tests varies from laboratory-laboratory and organism type.
3 – Clotting Factor Test
Slowing down of the healing of wounds indicates the deficiency of clotting factors in the body. Platelets, vitamin K, prothrombin and fibrinogen, are the essential clotting factors that thicken the blood and prevent excessive blood loss.
Therefore a sample is collected with the help of a lancet. Like other tests, the blood doesn’t need to be collected in an anti-coagulant-containing vial. After the collection, the time of coagulation is observed.
More time means something is wrong with the level of coagulating components of the blood.
4 – LFT
Liver function tests are mainly performed by collecting the samples. Usually, a serum sample is required to detect the presence of ALT, ASP and ALP in the blood. In case of liver damage, the concentration of these enzymes will deviate.
Therefore, the blood sample is collected in yellow cap vials which contain gel. The upper portion of the fluid, which is the serum, is inserted inside the machine. After 1-2 minutes, the results will appear on the screen, and then you can compare it with the normal range.
Henry Lawson is an experienced arts journalist specializing in music, film, and text-based art forms. His work centers on providing thoughtful analysis, artist interviews, and in-depth features that celebrate innovation and creativity across diverse mediums.