"E.Gulbja Laboratorija" panel "General health status assessment" allows you to assess your general health status and receive results with a doctor's opinion

  • 2023-01-26
  • Kristine Stalidzane

Many serious diseases begin without any obvious symptoms, patients visit the doctor later than they should and, in such cases, treatment is more complicated and expensive. Such situation can be avoided by using the test panel "General health status assessment" offered by the company " E.Gulbja Laboratorija ", which includes basic tests for the general health status assessment. 

"The general health status assessment includes examinations that, similar to a technical inspection of a vehicle, allow to assess the basic indicators: the condition of the heart, kidneys, liver, thyroid gland, bones and pancreas, as well as eventual inflammatory processes in the body. With the same test, possible sugar level and lipid metabolism problems are also checked," told laboratory doctor Janis Stasulans.

According to J. Stasulans, even a person who has no health complaints should have their general state of health evaluated at certain intervals. "In general world practice, it is a custom to do it once every three to four years until reaching the age of 35, and afterwards – once every two years," he explains.

"The assessment also includes a complete blood count, which provides a lot of information, which will be useful if a person visits a family doctor or a specialist due to some complaints," emphasizes J. Stasulans. "For example, glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin make it possible to assess carbohydrate metabolism. Cholesterol (both total, high and low density), triglycerides and other indicators are also determined to assess the state of the heart and blood vessels, as well as lipid metabolism." 

The patient receives the results of the blood tests together with the laboratory doctor’s opinion on the next working day. "It is particularly convenient and important that at the end of the report there is a summary with the results of all included examinations. Those that are not according to the norm will be highlighted. Also, based on the results of the laboratory examinations, at the end of the report, the laboratory doctor provides an assessment of the state of health – the doctor describes each group of examinations and at the end expresses specific conclusions and provides specific recommendations," J. Stasulans describes the special advantages of this panel.

Thus, the general health status assessment can reveal changes in the functioning of an organ that are not yet physically felt or diagnose a disease. This examination does not require a doctor’s referral. 

Such and similar panels are becoming increasingly popular: "For example, today during duty, in just a few hours, I have already prepared analysis assessments for 30 patients, which is a significant number. Of course, by the end of the working day, the number will be significantly higher," says J. Stasulans  about the daily routine of a laboratory doctor. 

What is included in a general health panel?

Complete blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ferritin or the body's iron reserves.

- Markers for inflammation – determination of C-reactive protein.

- Glucose regulation – plasma glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin.

- Cardiological markers – total cholesterol, low-density cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity CRO (non-specific inflammatory index), lipoprotein.

- Liver tests – AST, ALT, GGT, LDH, alkaline phosphatase.

- Pancreas – alpha amylase.

- Thyroid hormone – TSH. 

- Kidney tests – creatinine, GFA, which describe the functional capabilities of the kidneys.

- Vitamins and minerals – magnesium, calcium, vitamin D, essential for bone health.

A separate examination for children

A separate general health examination is adapted for children under 18 years of age. This includes not only a complete blood count, but also examinations that can be used to assess the condition of the child's bones, thyroid gland, kidneys and liver, as well as the level of inflammation. Immunoglobulin A, G and M are also determined, which help to assess the functioning of the child's immune system, while immunoglobulin E can indicate the presence of allergies and parasites in the child's body.

About SIA “E. Gulbja Laboratorija”

SIA “E. Gulbja Laboratorija” is the largest clinical laboratory in Latvia that performs biochemical, microbiological, chemical, immunohematological, hematological, cytological, immunological, biophysical, cytogenetic pathalogic analysis of both human and animal material in order to provide disease diagnostics or health assessment. 

SIA “E. Gulbja Laboratorija” serves an average of 8,560 patients per day. In 2022, 10.9 million tests were performed after 2.1 million examination requests.