Labs related to the Chronic Disease

Diabetes

HgbA1C- a blood test showing your average blood sugar (glucose) levels over the past 2-3 months,

Heart Disease:

Lipid Panel: a simple blood test that measures fats in your blood. Toal Cholesterol- Sum of all cholesterol types in your blood
LDL (low density lipoprotein)- "Bad" cholesterol that can clog arteries,
increasing heart attack risk. (under 100 mg/dL). HDL (high density lipoprotein)- "Good" cholesterol that helps remove
excess cholesterol (over 40 mg/dL for men, 50 mg/dL for women)
Triglycerides: Stored energy; high levels (e.g., over 150 mg/dL) combined
with low HDL or high LDL signal potential artery issues

Cardia Enzymes:

checks for proteins and enzymes that leak into the
bloodstream when the heart muscle is damaged

Troponin

The gold standard; rises within hours of cardiac muscle damage, stays
elevated for days, indicating significant injury.

Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB):

Rises sooner than troponin but less specific; useful
for detecting a second heart attack.

Myoglobin

Rises very quickly but is not specific to the heart, making it less reliable.

BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide)

hormone your heart releases when it's working too
hard, measures this protein to help diagnose heart failure, differentiate it from
non-cardiac related lung problems, assess severity, and monitor treatment
effectiveness, with higher levels indicating more severe stress on the heart

no heart failure

less than 100pg/mL

heart failure is present

100-300pg/mL

mild heart failure

greater than 300pg/mL

moderate heart failure

greater than 600pg/mL

severe heart failure

greater than 900pg/mL

D-dimer

protein fragment released when your body breaks down a blood clot.
help diagnose or rule out clotting disorders like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or
pulmonary embolism (PE).

Lactic Acid

measures the amount of lactic acid in your blood. It is primarily used
to detect and evaluate severe lack of oxygen in the body's tissues (hypoxia),
diagnose lactic acidosis, and monitor issues like sepsis, shock, or heart failure

Bleeding

PT, PTT, INR- blood tests measuring how long it takes blood to clot, assessing
bleeding/clotting disorders, and monitoring blood thinner (like warfarin or
heparin effectiveness.

PT/INR

checking the extrinsic pathway (warfarin monitoring)

PTT

checking the intrinsic pathway (heparin monitoring)

INR

standardizes PT results across labs, making it easier to track warfarin
treatment

Extrinsic pathway:

fast-acting blood clotting pathway that responds to outside injury,
and the cell death pathway activated by external signals, both crucial for maintaining body
integrity.

Intrinsic pathway:

a cascade of clotting factors leading to the formation of a blood clot,
initiated within the bloodstream by the activation of platelets without external trauma

Fibrinogen Levels

key blood clotting protein, with normal adult ranges typically 200-400
mg/dL (2-4 g/L), indicating healthy clot formation.

Amylase

A digestive enzyme that helps digest carbs, primarily from your
pancreas and salivary glands.
• Normal Level= 30-140 U/L

Lipase-

measures the amount of fat-digesting enzyme lipase in your blood, primarily
produced by the pancreas.
• Normal level= 0-160 U/L

Albumin

protein in your blood plasma. Used to check liver and kidney function
• Normal level= 3.5=5.5 g/dL

Ammonia

indicate the body's ability to process protein waste. The most common cause of
high levels is liver disease.
• Normal Level= 15-45 ug/dL

Alk Phos

measuring an enzyme crucial for liver, bone, kidney, and digestive health
• Normal Level (adult)= 44-147 IU/L

TSH

measures the amount of thyroid stimulating hormone
• Normal level=.4-4miU/mL
• High levels= hypothyroid
• Low Levels= hyperthyroid

T3-

key thyroid hormone that regulates body temperature, heart rate, growth,
and energy. It comes in two forms: Total T3 (bound and free) and Free T3 (unbound,
active form). High levels in hyperthyroidism and low levels in hypothyroidism

Free T4-

levels measure thyroxine, a thyroid hormone crucial for metabolism. High
levels in hyperthyroidism and low levels in hypothyroidism. T4 tests are almost
always done with a TSH test, as TSH levels help determine if high or low T4 is due to
a problem with the thyroid or pituitary gland

CRP (C-reactive protein)

levels indicate inflammation in the body; elevated levels
signal the immune system is active due to infection, injury, or chronic conditions

ESR(Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)

test measures how fast red blood cells
(erythrocytes) settle in a tube, indicating inflammation in the body;Normal levels are dependent on age and sex. All start at 0
• Higher protein levels from inflammation make cells clump (rouleaux),
causing them to fall faster, signaling conditions like infections, autoimmune
diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus), or certain cancers, but it's a non-
specific marker needing other tests for diagnosis, often used to monitor
disease activity over time.