ADVANCED ELECTROLYTES AND UREA BLOOD TEST
It is hard to overstate the importance of electrolytes but oddly, because they are such a fundamental building block of our biology, they are easily forgotten. Sodium, potassium, and calcium are all vitally important for allowing nerve impulses to be conducted, muscles to contract, and the heart rhythm to be maintained.
Thankfully, major abnormalities in electrolytes are not common in people whose health is generally good, although they are much more common in people who are seriously unwell in hospital. Abnormalities may occur in a wide range of conditions but some of the more common causes include kidney disease, severe diarrhoea or vomiting, or malnourished states including eating disorders.
However, electrolyte imbalances are a fairly common side effect of some medications, particularly those used for blood pressure control, and electrolytes are routinely monitored for people on these medications. Fortunately, the abnormalities are usually mild and correct themselves if the medication is stopped.
7 BIOMARKERS
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ELECTROLYTES
- Sodium
- Calcium
- Corrected calcium
- Potassium (Clinic only. Not available in home kits as this biomarker can only be accurate if analysed within a very short period of time - 8 hours.)
- Chloride
- Albumin
- Magnesium
- Urea