Have you ever wondered why your doctor, nurse, or lab technician takes so many tubes of blood? Some blood samples are used to measure your viral load, T-cells, and other blood cell counts. At the same time, some samples are used to perform a blood chemistry test on a regular basis to monitor other important components of your health.

The blood chemistry test – also known as a chem screen – measures a number of important chemicals produced by your body to help it function properly. While a chem screen won't really tell you much about HIV or how your immune system is doing, it can help you and your doctor determine if another infection is present in the body or if you're having any side effects to the drugs you're taking.

A chem screen can involve many different tests, but usually measure between 6 to 24 chemicals. Some of the most important chemical levels in people living with HIV can be seen in the following example of a chem screen lab report. Click on a test name in the left column to view an explanation of its significance & meaning. (note: to see and/or print a complete list of test name explanations, click here.)
 

Clinical Laboratory Report Patient Name Date Drawn Date Received Date of Report   DOE, JOHN     12/20/99     12/20/99       12/22/99   Sex Age Client Name / Address I.D. Number Account Number   M   31   MEDICAL CENTER   YOUR DOCTOR, M.D.   123 MAIN STREET   ANYTOWN     US        10023   78987654   12343 Ordering Physician Time Drawn   SMITH   123094567 Specimen Number   918273   11:00 Patient I.D./Soc. Sec Number     TEST NAME RESULT UNITS REFERENCE RANGE   CHEM-SCREEN PANEL GLUCOSE 87   mg/dL 65  - 125 SODIUM 140   mmol/L 136  - 144 POTASSIUM 4 .6 mmol/L 3.6  - 5.1 CHLORIDE 106   mmol/L 99  - 109 CARBON DIOXIDE (BICARBONATE) 28   mmol/L 21  - 31 BUN (BLOOD UREA NITROGEN) 9   mg/dL 8  - 24 CREATININE 0 .9 mg/dL 0.7  - 1.3 BUN/CREATININE RATIO 10 .0   URIC ACID 6 .0 mg/dL 3.0  - 8.1 PHOSPHATE 3 .5 mg/dL 2.3  - 4.5 CALCIUM 9 .6 mg/dL 8.8  - 10.3 MAGNESIUM 2 .09 g/dL 1.50  - 2.50 CHOLESTEROL 258   mg/dL      H 120  - 199 HDL CHOLESTEROL 41   mg/dL 35  - 59 CHOL/HDL RATIO 6 .3   3.6  - 6.4 LDL CHOL., CALCULATED 179   mg/dL      H 75  - 129 TRIGLYCERIDES 231   mg/dL      H 40  - 200 PROTEIN, TOTAL 8 .3 g/dL 6.5  - 8.3 ALBUMIN 4 .5 g/dL 4.0  - 5.0 GLOBULIN, CALCULATED 3 .8 g/dL         H 2.1  - 3.6 A/G RATIO 1 .2   1.1  - 2.0 BILIRUBIN, TOTAL 0 .51 mg/dL 0.20  - 1.50 BILIRUBIN, DIRECT 0 .10 mg/dL 0.00  - 0.20 ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE 85   IU/L 30  - 110 GGT 24   IU/L 5  - 80 AST (SGOT) 46   IU/L         H 5  - 43 ALT (SGPT) 45   IU/L 5  - 60 AMYLASE, SERUM 33   IU/L 0  - 100 LD 235   IU/L         H 100  - 215 IRON 106   mg/dL 50  - 170

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