Blood testing: why is it so important?

It is fairly common to visit your doctor for blood test assessments. However, you may wonder what the real benefits of blood testing are. Leading consultant GP Dr Hana Patel provides an insight into the benefits of blood testing, and how it can help to assess your health status.

What are the key benefits of regular blood testing?

A blood test is often conducted to assess overall health or to investigate the underlying cause of specific symptoms. This procedure entails extracting a small sample of blood for analysis. Blood tests serve various purposes, including:

• Assessing overall health status.
• Identifying potential causes of symptoms.
• Assessing susceptibility to certain conditions.
• Monitoring the effectiveness of treatment or management for existing conditions.

How can blood tests contribute to early disease detection?

Blood can tell you a lot about how the body is functioning. For instance, through a basic blood test, medical professionals can diagnose conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and anaemia. However, some conditions are more challenging to detect and may necessitate invasive procedures such as spinal fluid draws or tissue biopsies for early-stage diagnosis.

Blood tests can:

• Evaluate how organs like the kidneys, liver, heart, or thyroid are working.
• Aid in the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.
• Assess the effectiveness of medication in improving your condition.
• Diagnose disorders related to bleeding or clotting.
• Determine if there are issues with your immune system's ability to combat infections.

What role does blood testing play in personalised medicine?

Personalised medicine, also known as precision medicine, involves tailoring medical decisions and treatments to each individual. It moves away from the standard approach to healthcare, recognising that each person is unique, with slight genetic differences. While common risk factors like age, cholesterol levels, weight, and smoking status contribute to heart and circulatory diseases, genetic makeup influences how these factors impact individuals. Consequently, some may develop these conditions while others don't, and the progression of the same disease varies among individuals. Moreover, responses to treatments differ from person to person.

Traditionally, treatment decisions have been based on average results from tests conducted on large numbers of people. However, personalised medicine aims to offer treatments tailored to individual characteristics, including genetics. It extends beyond prescribing medications, encompassing improved diagnosis, prediction of disease development, and disease management.

Advancements in technology enable scientists to analyse various data about individuals, including genetic, clinical, medication, and lifestyle information. By integrating these datasets, common factors and causes of variation can be identified, revolutionising how diseases are understood and treated.

What insights can a comprehensive blood test provide about one’s health?

The risk of heart disease decreases as cholesterol levels decrease, although a specific type of cholesterol, HDL or "good" cholesterol, can offer protection against heart disease. What truly matters is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol.

It's recommended to have your cholesterol levels checked at least once in your lifetime, and annually if you have a history of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, or if your risk of heart disease or stroke exceeds 20% over the next decade. Additionally, blood tests can reveal your risk of heart attack or stroke, assess hormone levels, prostate cancer risk, or aid in managing conditions like diabetes or menopause.

If you require blood testing and would like to book a consultation with Dr Patel, visit her Top Doctors profile today