Explain blood work results Symptoms and LabTests laboratory

Published: 28 Jan 2024


You may feel a slight prick when the needle is inserted into the vein.
Check if you need to do anything to prepare for it. A phlebotomist uses a needle to takes a sample of your blood, usually from a vein in your arm. Blood tests are among the most common types of diagnostic tests for good reason. But the test is typically not painful, and the process takes just a few minutes.The small amounts of blood drawn for the test can help your doctor check for a wide range of issues.
If your doctor recommends a blood test, be sure you understand what the test measures. Many patients can check their blood test results in secure online patient portals.
From checking your cholesterol levels and thyroid function to diagnosing infections, diseases and other conditions, blood tests are often the first step in diagnosing dozens of conditions.
Your doctor typically orders blood tests for you during a physical, checkup or screening for a specific condition, including heart disease, thyroid disease, cancer, diabetes and sexually transmitted infections.
Blood tests are very safe.

For example, if you cut your skin, it may turn red, swell, and hurt for a few days. High levels of CRP may mean you have a serious health condition that causes inflammation.
Inflammation is your body's way of protecting your tissues and helping them heal from an injury, infection, or other disease. A c-reactive protein test measures the level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in a sample of your blood. Normally, you have low levels of c-reactive protein in your blood. Inflammation can also happen inside your body.
If inflammation lasts too long, it can damage healthy tissues. This type of inflammation is usually helpful. Your liver releases more CRP into your bloodstream if you have inflammation in your body. Inflammation can be acute (sudden) and temporary. This is called chronic (long-term) inflammation. Chronic infections, certain autoimmune disorders, and other diseases can cause harmful chronic inflammation. Those are signs of inflammation. Chronic inflammation can also happen if your tissues are repeatedly injured or irritated, for example from smoking or chemicals in the environment.
A CRP test can show whether you have inflammation in your body and how much. But the test can't show what's causing the inflammation or which part of your body is inflamed.CRP is a protein that your liver makes.