Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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Blood tests
A blood test is when a sample of your blood is taken for checking in a laboratory. Your GP, nurse, midwife or specialist doctor in a hospital, may take the sample. Alternatively a phlebotomist, a person trained to take blood, may take the sample.
The blood circulates all around the body and contains many different substances including various chemicals like potassium and sodium, oxygen that comes from the lungs, platelets to help the blood clot when you have a wound, and antibodies that fight infections. By looking at the blood, healthcare professionals can find out a lot of information about how well your body is working and how well you can fight diseases.
