Published: 30 Sep 2024

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. 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. Blood tests are among the most common types of diagnostic tests for good reason. 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. But the test is typically not painful, and the process takes just a few minutes.You may feel a slight prick when the needle is inserted into the vein.

Samples given can be analyzed deeply to answer several questions. Lab blood testing also goes a step further in the world of genetics as well as forensics. In the case of forensics, it can be used to identify people, criminals, elements in blood that are not meant to be there and the like. In the case of genetics, it can be used to determine paternity, it can be used to determine how prone one can be to a hereditary illness.