26 BIOMARKERS / UK LABORATORY ANALYSIS
Aches And Pains
A profile of blood markers used in the investigation of joint and muscle discomfort.
What this test measures
- White Blood Cell Count (WBC)
- Red Blood Cell Count (RBC)
- Haemoglobin (HGB)
- Hematocrit (HCT)
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
- Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH)
- Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
- Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW)
- Platelets * (PLT)
- Mean Platelet Volume * (MPV)
- Lymphocytes * (LYM)
- Monocytes * (MON)
- Neutrophils * (NEU)
- Eosinophils * (EOS)
- Basophils * (BAS)
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
- Uric acid
- Creatine Kinase (CK)
- Aspartate AminoTransferase (AST)
- Calcium
- Corrected Calcium
- Albumin
- C Reactive protein
- Rheumatoid Factor (RF)
- Ferritin
- Iron
Before your appointment
Biotin supplements may affect this test. Discuss a pause with the clinic or prescriber before collection; the laboratory commonly requests 72 hours. Avoid unusually strenuous exercise before the test; the laboratory advises allowing 48 hours. For routine monitoring, wait until an acute illness has settled unless your clinician advises otherwise.
Tell your clinician about medicines, supplements and any testing instructions from your doctor. Do not stop prescribed treatment without their advice.
Understanding your result
A result is one part of your health picture. A clinician should interpret it alongside your symptoms, history and other findings. Some specialist tests require clinical guidance to decide whether they are appropriate.
Laboratory reference and collection information
Sample tubes: 1 x yellow 1 x purple. Some markers are not reported from capillary samples. A clinic venous sample may be needed for the complete panel.