Understanding Blood Tests: White Blood Cells, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, and Kidney Function, Slides of Laboratory Practices and Management

Download Understanding Blood Tests: White Blood Cells, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, and Kidney Function and more Slides Laboratory Practices and Management in PDF only on Docsity! Evaluation of laboratory tests • Laboratory tests check a sample of your blood, urine, or body tissues. A technician or your doctor analyzes the test samples to see if your results fall within the normal range. The tests use a range because what is normal differs from person to person. WBC Low WCB • Common causes include: • hi, like radiotharapy • anti-psychotic drugs • Medications for an overactive thyroidsome cancers, like Leukemia • infections such as HIV or hepatitis • autoimmune disorders, like rheumatoid arthritis High WBC • The types of white blood cells include: neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. • Neutrophils, which account for about 70% of white blood cells, can increase in response to bacterial infections as well as to physical or emotional stress • high lymphocyte count may occur when there is a viral or bacterial infection. • Increased monocytes can indicate chronic inflammation • Elevated levels of basophils and eosinophils may occur when there is an allergic response or in cases of a parasitic infection. RBC (4,2-5,4) What does a lower than normal count mean? • If the number of RBCs is lower than normal, it may be caused by: • Anemia • bone marrow failure • erythropoietin deficiency, which is the primary cause of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease • hemolysis, or RBC destruction caused by transfusions and blood vessel injury • internal or external bleeding • leukemia What does a higher than normal count mean? • You have erythrocytosis if your RBC count is higher than normal. This may be due to: • Smoking • Congenital heart disease • Dehydration • Pulmonary fibrosis • polycythemia vera, a bone marrow disease that causes overproduction of RBCs and is associated with a genetic mutatio n • renal cell carcinoma , a type of kidney cancer Hemoglobin(Hgb) 12 to 16 g/dl. Diseases and conditions that cause your body to produce fewer red blood cells than normal include: • Cancer • Aplastic anemia • Certain medications, such as anti-retroviral drugs for HIV infection and chemotherapy drugs for cancer and other conditions • Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) • Chronic Kidney Disease • Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) • Iron deficiency anemia • Leukemia • Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma High hemoglobin levels • could be indicative of the rare blood disease, polycythemia. It causes the body to make too many red blood cells, causing the blood to be thicker than usual. • This can lead to clots, heart attacks, and strokes . It is a serious lifelong condition that can be fatal if it is not treated. SERUM CREATİNİNE 0.72-1.25 • What your high results could mean? • Generally speaking, high levels of creatinine can indicate that your kidneys aren’t working well. • There are many possible causes of high creatinine, some of which may be a one-time occurrence. Examples can include things such as dehydration or intake of large amounts of protein or the supplement creatine. All of these can be temporarily hard on your kidneys. • However, other causes of high creatinine may point to a health condition. Many of these conditions can cause damage or disease that impacts kidney function. They can include: • drug toxicity (drug-induced nephrotoxicity) • kidney infection (pyelonephritis) • kidney failure, both acute and chronic • DM,Hypertension,Heart Diseases • Outlook for a low creatinine level • Treatment options for low creatinine depend on the underlying cause. If you have a muscular disease, treatment focuses on treating the related condition and reducing muscle pain, weakness, and degeneration. Options include corticosteroids to improve your muscle strength or therapy to improve your quality of life. • If further testing rules out a muscle disease, your doctor may suggest lifestyle and diet changes and then retest your level at a later time. With the proper adjustments, your levels should normalize. Tests For Diabetes • Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG):This tests your blood glucose levels after a period of at least 8 hours with no food intake. Glucose blood results greater than or equal to 126 mg/dl indicate diabetes. • Hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1c); A1C is a blood test for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. It measures your average blood glucose, or blood sugar, level over the past 3 months. Doctors may use the A1C alone or in combination with other diabetes tests to make a diagnosis. They also use the A1C to see how well you are managing your diabetes . This test is different from the blood sugar checks that people with diabetes do every day. •creatine kinase (CK) level:. To distinguish between skeletal muscle and heart muscle damage; sometimes to determine if you have had a heart attack (if the troponin test is not available); sometimes to detect a second or subsequent heart attack or to monitor for additional heart damage •Brain Natriuretic Peptide proBNP Natriuretic Peptides:When you have symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, excessive fluid in your abdomen, and swollen ankles and legs after a heart attack or during treatment for heart disease Other tests for cardiovascular disease • Blood Cultures:may be done to identify infection of the heart (endocarditis) • Electrolytes:tests that evaluate the body's fluid and salt balance • Blood Gases:performed to evaluate oxygen, carbon dioxide, and pH levels • Complete Blood Count(CBC):evaluates blood cells; checks for anemia and infections • Pericardial fluid analysis:by analyzing the fluid in the sac that surrounds the heart, healthcare practitioners may be able to tell if the heart tissues are inflamed or have been damaged by trauma or infection or whether congestive heart failure has caused fluid to accumulate around the heart. • Lipid Panel(LDL-C,HDL-C, cholesterol, triglycerides); a group of tests that measure the amount and type of lipids (fats) in the blood • Lipoprotein (a):may be used to identify an elevated level of lipoprotein (a), a modification to LDL-C that increases risk of atherosclerosis; the test may be used in conjunction with a routine lipid panel to provide additional information. • CRP:detects low levels of C- reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that is associated with atherosclerosis, among other conditions Hypokalemia (Low HjkbghLevel of Potassium in Hypokalemia Normal range : 3.5-5.5 mmol/L ) Causes • A low potassium level has many causes but usually results from vomiting, diarrhea, adrenal gland disorders, or use of diuretics. • The diagnosis is based on blood tests to measure the potassium level. • Usually, eating foods rich in potassium or taking potassium supplements by mouth is all that is needed. What happened when K is low • A slight decrease in the potassium level in blood usually causes no symptoms.A larger decrease can cause muscle weakness, cramping,, and even paralysis • Abnormal heart rhythms may develop. They may develop even when the decrease is slight if people already have a heart disorder or take the heart drug digoxin. • hypokalemia lasts for an extended time, kidney problems may develop , causing the person to urinate frequently and drink large amounts of water. Hypercalcemia Causes • Overactive parathyroid glands. The most common cause of hypercalcemia, overactive parathyroid glands (hyperparathyroidism) can stem from a small, noncancerous (benign) tumor or enlargement of one or more of the four parathyroid glands. • Cancer. Lung cancer and breast cancer, as well as some cancers of the blood, can increase your risk of hypercalcemia. Spread of cancer (metastasis) to your bones also increases your risk. • Other diseases. Certain diseases, such as tuberculosis and sarcoidosis, can raise blood levels of vitamin D, which stimulates your digestive tract to absorb more calcium. What happen when ca is high • Osteoporosis. If your bones continue to release calcium into your blood, you can develop the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which could lead to bone fractures, spinal column curvature and loss of height. • Kidney stones. If your urine contains too much calcium, crystals may form in your kidneys. Over time, the crystals may combine to form kidney stones. Passing a stone can be extremely painful. • Nervous system problems. Severe hypercalcemia can lead to confusion, dementia and coma, which can be fatal. • Abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). Hypercalcemia can affect the electrical impulses that regulate your heartbeat, causing your heart to beat irregularly. Hyponatremia(A normal blood sodium level is between 135 and 145 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L).) Causes • Certain medications. Some medications, such as some water pills (diuretics), antidepressants and pain medications, can interfere with the normal hormonal and kidney processes that keep sodium concentrations within the healthy normal range. • Heart, kidney and liver problems. Congestive heart failure and certain diseases affecting the kidneys or liver can cause fluids to accumulate in your body, which dilutes the sodium in your body, lowering the overall level. • Chronic, severe vomiting or diarrhea and other causes of dehydration. This causes your body to lose electrolytes, such as sodium, and also increases ADH levels • Drinking too much water. Drinking excessive amounts of water can cause low sodium by overwhelming the kidneys' ability to excrete water. What happen when sodium is low • In acute hyponatremia, sodium levels drop rapidly — resulting in potentially dangerous effects, such as rapid brain swelling, which can result in a coma and death.Premenopausal women appear to be at the greatest risk of hyponatremia-related brain damage. This may be related to the effect of women's sex hormones on the body's ability to balance sodium levels. Hypernatremia Causes• • Hypernatremia involves dehydration, which can have many causes, including not drinking enough fluids, diarrhea, kidney dysfunction, and diuretics.Mainly, people are thirsty, and if hypernatremia • Blood tests are done to measure the sodium level. Usually, fluids are given intravenously to slowly reduce the sodium level in the blood What happen when sodium is high • Hypernatremia typically causes thirst. The most serious symptoms of hypernatremia result from brain dysfunction. Severe hypernatremia can lead to confusion, muscle twitching, seizures, coma, and death.