What You Need to Know About Blood Tests

Blood tests are a common part of annual physical exams. However, many of those who have exams don’t know what is being done with the blood samples.

The article below from Dr. Leslie Kernisan talks about blood tests for older adults. However, her comments can apply to younger adults as well.

She further highlights tests that she orders which are part of her protocol, but not necessarily what other doctors do. Sometimes a doctor may omit a test that might actually be of value to you. (Insurance companies are pressing providers to minimize costs by reducing the tests that they run. What the insurance company wants might actually be detrimental to you.)

In my own case, during one exam years ago, I asked my doc if he was running an assay of testosterone levels. He wasn’t, but since it was a “cheap test”, he added it to the request. The result came back quite low and prompted a course of treatment that would have been missed if the test had been skipped.

So, this is a useful article, please read.

Understanding Laboratory Tests: 10 Commonly Used Blood Tests for Older Adults