PRL: Physicians Reference Laboratory

PHYSICIANS REFERENCE LABORATORY

CLA: COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SCREEN

COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SCREEN

How healthy are you? Beyond a general answer like “good”, “so-so” or “not-so-good”, it can be difficult to be specific. Physicians Reference Laboratory (PRL) Community Laboratory Access offers a group of tests called the Comprehensive Health Screen that gives you concrete evidence that can help you decide how healthy you really are. PRL offers several thousand tests to measure all kinds of bodily functions, but we have selected this group or “screen” which can provide early warnings for a large variety of diseases or abnormalities while they may be minor. Below are listed the tests in this Screen, plus a few words about what they measure and why they are included:

COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT WITH WHITE BLOOD CELL DIFFERENTIAL COUNT (CBC w/diff)

This group of tests evaluates the cells that are normally in the blood, including red blood cells (RBCs) for anemias, the various types of white blood cells (WBCs) for infections, allergies, etc., and little cell fragments called platelets that are important for blood clotting. The RBCs carry oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the cells of the body. There are multiple types of white blood cells, each of which has a different function (therefore the “differential” count to determine how many of what kind).

URINALYSIS

The Urinalysis measures the presence and amount of a number of chemicals in the urine, which reflect much about the health of the kidneys, along with cells that may be present in the urine (for example RBCs, WBCs, or groups of these called “casts”). Also, the lab looks for crystals, bacteria, and other organisms in the urinary sediment. Each of these elements give hints as to function of the kidneys, ureters (small tubes that connect the kidneys with the urinary bladder), and the urinary bladder.

BLOOD CHEMISTRY PANEL +

This panel of tests measures many chemicals and enzymes in the blood that give early warning of many abnormal states or functions within the liver, kidneys, blood lipids (fats), blood proteins, iron and water balance. Measured in this panel are, sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2, anion gap, glucose (sugar), calcium, phosphorus, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, AST (SGOT), ALT (SGPT), LDH, uric acid, triglycerides, cholesterol, globulin, A/G ratio, BUN/creatinine ratio, AST/ALT ratio, iron, iron binding capacity and GGT. Abnormalities in these tests can suggest diabetes mellitus, hepatitis, iron deficiency anemia, blood vessel disease, kidney disease, gout or parathyroid gland trouble, just to name a few. If significant abnormalities are revealed in any of these tests, further evaluation and testing will probably be needed.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is made in the front part of the pituitary gland, a pea sized gland at the base of the brain. A chemical (called a “releasing factor”) coming from the adjacent brain tissue “tells” the pituitary gland to release TSH, which in turn “tells” the thyroid gland in the neck to make more thyroxin (also called T4) and triiodothyronine (or T3), the hormones that “tell” our bodily cells how fast to metabolize. As the thyroxin (and T3) levels rise and fall, the brain senses the levels and sends more releasing factor to the pituitary gland to start the process again. Measuring the blood TSH level is a very sensitive way to evaluate this process.If it is abnormal, then other tests will help determine the exact problem.

OCCULT (HIDDEN) BLOOD IN THE STOOL

Blood in the stool (fecal material in the bowel) is always abnormal, but often does not indicate something serious. It can, however, be the harbinger of cancer of the lower intestine (colon) or rectum. Beginning at age 50 for both males and females, it is very important to perform this test annually. If blood is present, you should then have an examination by your doctor to determine where it is coming from, for example, from a hemorrhoid, a polyp, or a small malignancy

PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN

The prostate gland in males is part of the sexual organs at the base of the penis. Cancer develops in the prostate gland commonly as men age. The good news is that if caught early, prostate cancer is frequently curable. The key is early detection, consisting of a rectal exam by a doctor and a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. PSA is a chemical found in elevated amounts in the blood when men have an inflammation of the prostate gland or if they have prostate cancer. After therapy, the PSA test is also a sensitive way to maintain peace of mind that the cancer has not recurred.

If your results are abnormal for any of the above tests, you should discuss your results with a physician.

Thanks for using Physicians Reference Laboratory’s Community Laboratory Access option to assist you in taking charge of your health care.

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