Prevention is key to avoid illnesses or to detect them in time and improve their prognosis. This can be achieved by performing regular blood tests.

This is why health specialists and professionals recommend having a clinical test done at least once per year, even if the patient does not have any prior pathologies.

What are blood tests?

First of all, we should know that blood is one of our body’s most important tissues, because it travels throughout our organism transporting cells and other elements that are essential to our vital functions.

The purpose of a blood test is to obtain information on how the patient’s organism is working, in order to establish a proper diagnosis.

This information is obtained by subjecting blood, or other biological material, to certain chemical tests. This way we analyse and measure the amounts and presence of certain substances.

Did you know that over 70% of medical decisions are taken after a blood test?

Blood and urine tests are very important when diagnosing diseases. In fact, over 70% of medical decisions that establish a diagnosis are taken after seeing the results of these tests. In short, this allows us to:

  • Know the patient’s current health condition
  • Anticipate the development of illnesses
  • Provide information that prevents complications in existing diseases
  • Help monitor the evolution of treatments

The importance of blood tests in patients who have diabetes

One of the most commonly requested tests is to monitor the levels of glucose in blood, in order to diagnose both diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the glucose levels in blood increase and the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to regulate it. This is a disease that may have numerous consequences for our organism, some of them serious, if it is not detected in time and controlled.

Therefore, we recommend that this test be performed regularly, especially for people who have a family history of diabetes.

Early cancer detection through a blood test

Cancer can be detected through a blood test, and its stage can also be determined. In addition to blood tests, doctors also request urine, tissue and body substances tests, that will help them to reach their diagnosis with higher precision.

These tests are performed because they can detect tumour markers, in other words, chemical substances produced by cancer cells.

This is an easy way to detect cancer, but in any case, further tests must always be performed to provide further information on the type of cancer and its stage.

What to do before a blood test

Before taking the sample, the patient must follow a series of guidelines:

  • Fast for 8 hours, unless instructed to fast for longer.
  • Do not take medication before the blood test. Check with your doctor beforehand.
  • Do not smoke or exercise before the extraction.