“How is blood checked for diseases?”

The blood is taken from you in a laboratory setting or in a hospital setting. They are sent to the laboratory in different types of tubes. Each tube has different purpose, one for complete Blood Cells (CBC), Platelets, Chemistry etc. Then, there are automated equipment where the machine analyzes the blood for its different components. Any discrepancy, the Laboratory Technician and the pathologist identify the cause of the discrepancies and do cultures of the blood to check what type of microorganisms are growing in the blood, and after 24 – 48 hours a report is sent to the provider who ordered the test. Most of the times, when we see discrepancies, we make additional tests after looking through the microscope and identifying a microorganism. Thank you.

Before blood is released it is checked for a whole host of diseases (viral and bacterial) which may be upgraded at times if a new threat is perceived in the scope of the donor pool.

A Complete Blood Count can detect possible infections or leukemias. The Complete Metabolic Panel can detect abnormalities in the liver, kidney and other organs. There are other specific tests to follow different diseases.

The doctor will request that the blood be tested for a specific disease or component(s) of a disease. It will be drawn and depending on the test will be placed in a certain colored tube. Then it will be sent to a lab with a request for the specific test and be tested by instruments. Then the lab will send the doctor the report. There is no set test for all diseases.

RB Thomas, MD

Diseases of the organs like liver, kidney, thyroid and pregnancy are tested through very routine test on normal blood draws. Infections need to have very specific blood draws. Only a few cancers can be diagnosed by testing the blood.
Dr Felo
Forensic Pathologist