🩸What is the significance of blood tests in a general health check-up?

Healthcare has always been one of the top priorities for individuals, families, and society. However, we still face many challenges in acquiring the knowledge needed to protect our health, and we may be misled by an overwhelming amount of unofficial information. Therefore, alongside consultations and health care guidance from hospitals, clinics, and reputable medical professionals, we also need to equip ourselves with basic knowledge to better understand and choose the best preventive health care plans for ourselves.

To assess our health status, it is recommended that we undergo a comprehensive health check-up at a reputable clinic or hospital. A general health check-up typically includes the following key components: blood tests combined with imaging diagnostics, and most importantly, a consultation with an internal medicine specialist.

🌟 The article below will discuss blood tests, which are part of the health check-up process, and the information that blood tests can provide. The content has been medically reviewed by an internal medicine specialist from the CarePlus International Clinic system.

👩‍⚕️EXPERT ADVICE
Your blood cells regenerate every 120 days, meaning you can notice improvements quickly when you make positive lifestyle changes.

🩸Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Determines the components of blood, thereby suggesting early diagnosis of blood-related diseases such as anemia, leukemia, platelet disorders, or early warnings of other inflammatory conditions.

🩸Red Blood Cells (RBC): Measures the number of red blood cells in the blood, helping detect anemia. Related to anemia, the following indicators also help assess the severity and cause of anemia: Hemoglobin (Hb): Measures the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. Hematocrit (Hct): Measures the percentage of red blood cells in the blood. MCV, MCH, MCHC: Assess the average red blood cell volume, the average hemoglobin amount, and the average hemoglobin concentration.

🩸White Blood Cells (WBC): Measures the number of white blood cells, helping detect infections, immune system disorders, or hematological disorders.

🩸Platelets: Measures the number of platelets, helping to assess blood clotting and detect platelet-related disorders.

🌟 Cardiovascular Risk Screening
According to statistics, approximately 150,000 people die from heart disease, making it both a symptom and a severe complication. About 41% of these deaths are due to myocardial infarction.

🔸Cholesterol

• Not all types of cholesterol are harmful.
• Some, like HDL-Cholesterol, can act as a "hero" for your health.
• Foods that promote HDL production include oats, fish, and nuts.
• LDL - the "BAD" Cholesterol: Increases when consuming foods like cheese, fried foods, and high-sugar foods.

🔸Triglycerides

• A type of fat in the body associated with heart disease and diabetes.
• Triglycerides can increase due to obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and a high carbohydrate diet.

🔸However, HDL and LDL are not the only indicators.

• 50% of cardiovascular patients have normal HDL and LDL levels. Analyzing smaller components of LDL, such as Apo B and Lp(a), can provide valuable information about your cardiovascular risk.
• Apo-B, often not included in standard lipid tests, has been shown to be related to bad cholesterol levels in the blood. A high Apo-B level can suggest a risk of stroke or myocardial infarction.
• Lp(a) helps suggest a risk of hereditary hyperlipidemia, which can help in early screening for genetic hyperlipidemia and assess potential cardiovascular risks within the family.

🌟 Diabetes Risk Screening
A high-carbohydrate diet combined with a sedentary lifestyle leads to an increasing and younger prevalence of metabolic diseases, including diabetes.
🔺Diabetes can be detected early through blood sugar tests:
Random blood glucose, Fasting blood glucose (after fasting for 6-8 hours), Measurement of average blood sugar levels (HbA1C) over 3 months. Additionally, if necessary, the doctor may recommend a glucose tolerance test and testing at 1 hour, 2 hours afterward to diagnose the disease.

🔺Based on blood glucose levels, we can adjust diet and lifestyle habits alongside medication treatment (if applicable), helping to prevent the disease and reduce diabetes complications.

🌟 Initial Liver and Kidney Function Assessment

• ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) and AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase): Measures the levels of these enzymes to assess liver inflammation or damage. GGT (Gamma Glutamyltransferase) often increases with alcohol consumption or regular medication use. ALT, AST, and GGT are the three indicators doctors often use to initially assess liver conditions.
• Additionally, to comprehensively assess liver function, other indicators may be prescribed by doctors if necessary, such as Bilirubin, Albumin, Total Protein, and coagulation factors synthesized by the liver.

Initial kidney function assessment usually includes Urea and Creatinine tests, which can measure the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), helping to suggest any kidney function decline. If necessary, the doctor may recommend more in-depth tests such as 24-hour proteinuria, total protein, electrolytes, abdominal ultrasound, etc.

🌟 Thyroid Function Assessment

• Thyroid conditions may be overlooked if tests are not ordered when symptoms are suspected. Commonly prescribed tests include TSH, FT3, FT4. If necessary, doctors may also order more specialized tests like Tg, TPO, TgAb.
• Hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid produces too little thyroid hormone, slows metabolism. Hypothyroidism causes weight gain, fatigue, cold intolerance, and an increased risk of heart disease. Additionally, hypothyroidism increases cholesterol levels due to reduced energy metabolism.
• In contrast, hyperthyroidism is caused by excessive thyroid hormone activity, increasing metabolism. Hyperthyroidism leads to weight loss, increased heart rate, excessive sweating, and hand tremors. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, severe hyperthyroidism can lead to thyroid storm, increasing the risk of death.

🌟 Screening for Common Issues: Uric Acid, Hepatitis Viruses, etc.

• Blood tests can detect elevated Uric Acid levels, suggesting a risk of Gout, a condition causing hot, red, painful swelling in small joints, potentially leading to joint deformities due to urate deposits. Uric Acid levels are often elevated in those with a high-protein diet, frequent alcohol use, and low physical activity.
• Blood tests also help early screen for viral hepatitis infections, most commonly Hepatitis B and C. These viruses can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer. From these tests, doctors can advise vaccination (for Hepatitis B), preventive measures, and treatment recommendations if necessary.

👉 Thus, blood tests help detect some diseases early or provide warnings about potential illnesses in the future. Combined with imaging diagnostics, they form the basis for doctors to accurately assess health conditions, provide consultations, and offer special care tailored to each patient's medical history, lifestyle, and treatment response.

👉 According to medical experts, in general, a healthy person should undergo periodic health check-ups every 6–12 months. Depending on individual health conditions, doctors may recommend more or less frequent check-ups.

👉 Therefore, make sure to have regular health check-ups and monitor important test results. All these vital health details are available on the CarePlus Vietnam app, helping to provide health alerts over the next five years.