Top 6 Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic tests are quite important to maintain optimum health. Even if the person looks outwardly healthy, there may be certain medical issues he or she may not be aware of. Many diseases often have symptoms that are silent, until the condition becomes complicated and difficult to treat. That is why it is imperative that you take advantage of diagnostic services and take at least these top 6 diagnostic tests as a preventive health check measure

Blood Test – The Complete Blood Count (CBC) is a blood test that can provide a blueprint of how your body is working. It can be helpful in diagnosing various medical conditions like different types of infections and anemia. The test measures RBCs (Red Blood Corpuscles), WBC (White Blood Corpuscles), leukocytes, platelet count; etc. This test is performed by taking a blood sample from the vein in your arm or finger. Usually, it is recommended to have a Complete Blood Count test at least once a year or a specified number of times as recommended by a doctor.

Urine Test – The routine urine test examination gives an idea about well your bladder, urinary tract and kidneys are functioning. The urine test looks for proteins, sugar, ketones, bile salts, bile pigments, occult blood, urobilinogen, epithelial cells, red blood cells, crystals, casts and other findings in the urine.

Ideally, you should collect a sample mid-stream for the first urine, you pass in the morning.

Lipid Profile Test - Lipid Profile Test is a part of the blood test that is usually ordered along with Complete Blood Count (CBC) test. The test is used to detect abnormalities in lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides. This test can be helpful to detect one’s risk for cardiovascular diseases, pancreatitis and other genetic diseases.

Fasting Plasma Glucose (Test) - The Fasting Plasma Glucose test is one of the commonly used diabetic screening tests. This is also used during the complete health check by your primary care physician, in conjunction with CBC (Complete Blood Count). A fasting blood sample is taken in the morning after an 8 to 10 hour, and then another sample is taken 2 hours after meal, on the same day (also known as postprandial). The doctor may also ask for another specialized test for diabetes called HbA1C (glycated hemoglobin); this test shows average of glucose/sugar levels in the past 120 days (the life span of an RBC is 120 days)

Electrocardiogram – Also known as ECG or EGK test, this shows how well your heart is pumping. Little electrodes are attached to your skin and connected to machine. The printout gives you pattern on the beating of your heart letting you know if it is beating too slow or too fast. It is a commonly performed test to check the health of your heart and diagnose a heart attack.

Mammography – It is a test to detect cysts or growth of tumors in the breasts before they become big and difficult to treat. It is recommended that women do a mammogram test for their breasts, ever year post age 40. The test should be done five years earlier, in case the woman has not conceived.

Apart from the above mentioned diagnostic tests, there are other laboratory tests that can be quite beneficial for you. Some of these include PSA Test (Prostate Specific Antigen)) for detecting prostate cancer, Pap Smear for cervical cancer, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computer Axial Tomography) scans. Nowadays, you can also take advantage of home sample collection, without having the need to go to these pathology services. Contact the nearest diagnostic service center for more information on lab tests.