blood tests

[polremy]

According to friends it is quite common for people to submit themselves to blood tests annually to make sure they are not suffering from certain ailments - prostate cancer (only for men, obviously) is one of them that I can remember.
Thought pay a visit to our medecin traitant. Can anyone tell me which tests I should request please? (liver function comes to mind!! all this fun must have its punishment thinks this good Catholic girl)

[mpprh]

I have a friend aged 87 who claims his longevity is due to not having seen a doctor since 1945 when he was nearly poisoned by home made hooch on VE night !

Be careful what you wish for. These tests are extensive and are bound to find something wrong.

So, if you really want to join the French hypochondriac club; choose from these typical tests :

Test Reference Range

17 Hydroxyprogesterone (Men) 0.06-3.0 mg/L
17 Hydroxyprogesterone (Women) Follicular phase 0.2-1.0 mg/L
25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) 8-80 ng/mL
Acetoacetate <3 mg/dL
Acidity (pH) 7.35 - 7.45
Alcohol 0 mg/dL (more than 0.1 mg/dL normally indicates intoxication) (ethanol)
Ammonia 15 - 50 µg of nitrogen/dL
Amylase 53 - 123 units/L
Ascorbic Acid 0.4 - 1.5 mg/dL
Bicarbonate 18 - 23 mEq/L (carbon dioxide content)
Bilirubin Direct: up to 0.4 mg/dL
Total: up to 1.0 mg/dL
Blood Volume 8.5 - 9.1% of total body weight
Calcium 8.5 - 10.5 mg/dL (normally slightly higher in children)
Carbon Dioxide Pressure 35 - 45 mm Hg
Carbon Monoxide Less than 5% of total hemoglobin
CD4 Cell Count 500 - 1500 cells/µL
Ceruloplasmin 15 - 60 mg/dL
Chloride 98 - 106 mEq/L
Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Tests include: hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, white Blood cell count

Copper Total: 70 - 150 µg/dL
Creatine Kinase (CK or CPK) Male: 38 - 174 units/L Female: 96 - 140 units/L
Creatine Kinase Isoenzymes 5% MB or less
Creatinine 0.6 - 1.2 mg/dL
Electrolytes
Test includes: calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, sodium
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR or Sed-Rate) Male: 1 - 13 mm/hr Female: 1 - 20 mm/hr
Glucose Tested after fasting: 70 - 110 mg/dL
Hematocrit Male: 45 - 62% Female: 37 - 48%
Hemoglobin Male: 13 - 18 gm/dL Female: 12 - 16 gm/dL
Iron 60 - 160 µg/dL (normally higher in males)
Iron-binding Capacity 250 - 460 µg/dL
Lactate (lactic acid) Venous: 4.5 - 19.8 mg/dL
Arterial: 4.5 - 14.4 mg/dL
Lactic Dehydrogenase 50 - 150 units/L
Lead 40 µg/dL or less (normally much lower in children)
Lipase 10 - 150 units/L
Zinc B-Zn 70 - 102 µmol/L
Lipids:
Cholesterol Less than 225 mg/dL (for age 40-49 yr; increases with age)
Triglycerides 10 - 29 years 53 - 104 mg/dL
30 - 39 years 55 - 115 mg/dL
40 - 49 years 66 - 139 mg/dL
50 - 59 years 75 - 163 mg/dL
60 - 69 years 78 - 158 mg/dL
> 70 years 83 - 141 mg/dL
Liver Function Tests
Tests include bilirubin (total), phosphatase (alkaline), protein (total and albumin), transaminases (alanine and aspartate), prothrombin (PTT)
Magnesium 1.5 - 2.0 mEq/L
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH) 27 - 32 pg/cell
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) 32 - 36% hemoglobin/cell
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 76 - 100 cu µm
Osmolality 280 - 296 mOsm/kg water
Oxygen Pressure 83 - 100 mm Hg
Oxygen Saturation (arterial) 96 - 100%
Phosphatase, Prostatic 0 - 3 units/dL (Bodansky units) (acid)
Phosphatase 50 - 160 units/L (normally higher in infants and adolescents) (alkaline)
Phosphorus 3.0 - 4.5 mg/dL (inorganic)
Platelet Count 150,000 - 350,000/mL
Potassium 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) 0 - 4 ng/mL (likely higher with age)
Proteins:
Total 6.0 - 8.4 gm/dL
Albumin 3.5 - 5.0 gm/dL
Globulin 2.3 - 3.5 gm/dL
Prothrombin (PTT) 25 - 41 sec
Pyruvic Acid 0.3 - 0.9 mg/dL
Red Blood Cell Count (RBC) 4.2 - 6.9 million/µL/cu mm
Sodium 135 - 145 mEq/L
Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) 0.5 - 6.0 µ units/mL
Transaminase:
Alanine (ALT) 1 - 21 units/L
Aspartate (AST) 7 - 27 units/L
Urea Nitrogen (BUN) 7 - 18 mg/dL
BUN/Creatinine Ratio 5 - 35
Uric Acid Male 2.1 to 8.5 mg/dL (likely higher with age) Female 2.0 to 7.0 mg/dL (likely higher with age)
Vitamin A 30 - 65 µg/dL
WBC (leukocyte count and white Blood cell count) 4.3-10.8 × 103/mm3
White Blood Cell Count (WBC) 4,300 - 10,800 cells/µL/cu mm


If you are outside the norms, you can always extend the tests !

Peter

[Rose]

Best not to have the prostate one if you are a man. One in 8 men test positive for this when they don't have prostate cancer and this can lead to many unnecessary treatments. Husband who is GP says he would never have it.

[polremy]

Do the French really have all those tests?
What diseases can we rejoice in NOT having after the test results are in?

[mpprh]

Your GP ticks the groups of tests he needs.

The standard annual test probably has over half of the above. This is then extended to cover particular ailments.

Once the GP has found something (and he will), you can have quarterly tests !

Peter

[Jenny Rhodes]

Just remember that blood test are very expensive in France.I had a test about a year ago....nice little selection of bits the Doctor identified and the cost was enormous.....only to find there was nothing wrong. Still it's good to know.

[thumbelina]

I don't pay anything for my blood tests, my mutual covers them.

[opas]

You could ask for the one that tells you if you are pregnant

[thumbelina]

[john]

Quite a lot of these tests are part of the "Depistages" (screening) scheme and as such are free. But,like Thumbers,my Mutual covers those that aren't. Not sure if I agree with Rose's hubby,despite the fact that he's a Doctor. Tests for Prostate are easy and painless. I'd certainly agree that no tests are 100% failsafe,but,speaking as someone whose Dad died of Prostate Cancer,I know if he'd taken the trouble to have a test it would have been caught earlier and he'd still be alive today. That's the flip side to Rose's hubby's opinion.