If your nutritionist or doctor has recommended a basic metabolic panel (BMP) blood test, then the doctor wants to examine the essential functions like metabolism, kidney function, and the body’s chemical balance to find chronic and acute health conditions. Learn when you need a basic metabolic panel test and what its results mean in this article. You can contact us by visiting our clinic or visiting our website at https://doralhw.org/.
What is a basic metabolic panel?
It’s a panel of tests that use your blood to measure 8 different substances in your blood. It provides information about your body’s energy use (also known as metabolism) and checks the body’s chemical balance. It is used to evaluate kidney function along with diagnosing or monitoring certain health conditions. To conduct a BMP, the doctor takes a blood sample from the vein in your arm.
Why do you need this test?
Doctors recommend this test to get a broader view of your overall physical health. With its 8 individual measurements, it can check several body functions, including:
- Your kidney function and health.
- Blood sugar level.
- The acid-base balance in the blood.
- Your fluid and electrolyte balance.
A BMP is also helpful in providing information about many different situations, like:
- If you have signs of lung disease.
- If your symptoms are related to kidney or metabolism issues.
- If you’re experiencing symptoms like fatigue or vomiting.
- To monitor certain chronic conditions like high blood pressure or kidney disease.
- If you had a test before that was abnormal, the doctor might want to see if there are changes or if it’s still abnormal.
- If you’re starting a new medication that may affect your kidney function.
Procedure
For this doctor, your doctor guides you on what you can expect. Usually, you don’t need to make any changes in your routine or diet. Sometimes you need to fast for at least 8 hours before the test.
On the day of the test, your doctor may ask you to sit on a chair and check your arms to find an accessible vein. Generally, it is on the inner part of your arm on the inner side of your elbow. Once the vein is located, the doctor cleans and disinfects the area. The doctor then inserts a small needle into the vein to collect the blood sample in the tube attached to the needle. Once enough blood is collected, the doctor removes the needle, puts a cotton ball or gauze on the site, and applies some pressure on it to stop the bleeding. After the blood stops, they put a bandage over the site. This test hardly takes 5 minutes. After that, you can go back home or work. You get your results usually in 2 days.
Risks
While it is a very safe procedure, you may feel moderate pain and mild pinching sensations when blood is collected. After the needle is removed, you may experience a throbbing sensation. You need to keep the bandage in place until it stops the bleeding. To prevent complications, make sure you don’t use your arm for heavy lifting for the rest of the day. Rarely, some risks are involved with a blood test, like:
- Lightheadedness or fainting
- A bruise at the site where blood is drawn.
- Infection (can be prevented by cleaning the skin with disinfectant).
- Excessive bleeding for a prolonged period after the test indicates a serious bleeding condition that needs to be reported to the doctor.
Results
A basic metabolic panel blood test shows your results based on 8 individual measurements. Sometimes, the laboratory’s measurements can vary in different ranges for each aspect of the BMP. When you get your results, that information also indicates what the lab’s normal ranges are. In general, the normal ranges for a BMP include:
- Glucose: From 74 to 99 mg/dL.
- Calcium: From 8.5 to 10.2 mg/dL.
- BUN: From 7 to 21 mg/dL.
- Creatinine: From 0.58 to 0.96 mg/dL.
- Sodium: From 136 to 144 mmol/L.
- Potassium: From 3.7 to 5.1 mmol/L.
- Bicarbonate: From 22 to 30 mmol/L.
- Chloride: 98 to 107 mmol/L.
If you have any doubts about your result, you can ask your doctor.
In case you get an abnormal result, your doctor will likely recommend additional testing to confirm your underlying condition. Doctors rarely make a diagnosis based on BMP results. If any single BMP result or a combination of results comes outside the normal range, they may flag it; but additional testing is required to confirm long-term health conditions like:
- Diabetes
- Bone disease
- High blood pressure
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
A BMP may help to diagnose acute conditions like:
- Dehydration
- Diabetes-related ketoacidosis
- Heart failure
- Hypoglycemia
- Kidney failure
A basic metabolic panel blood test can be helpful to broadly assess your physical health. If you have an abnormal level in one of your BMP results, it doesn’t mean you have a medical condition. Many other factors also affect your results. However, it helps the doctor to know what other tests to use to find the underlying health condition. The doctor may use this test to diagnose acute, sudden, and severe conditions that are mentioned above, to prompt the best treatment plan to treat the abnormalities.
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