In this blog, I will continue discussing important determinants in the blood tests. Most don’t put much thought into how inflammation plays a big part of a person’s wellbeing. I’m sure most of you first think of muscle pain or a sore throat when you think about inflammation. Those are definitely examples of clinical inflammation. However, I will discuss inflammation in regards to cellular integrity.

` One of my goals in writing this blog is to introduce clinical terms you may not be familiar with. On any blood tests, there are markers, called biomarkers, that give an indication to inflammatory states. One such biomarker is the acute phase reactants. One very notable example of an acute phase biomarker is C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a biomarker that picks up inflammation in the vascular system. This is important because the vascular system essentially affects all systems of the body and when you can detect inflammation issues, early on, you are potentially able to prevent significant illnesses such as heart attacks or full-blown Diabetes.

Although Ferritin is typically used to identify iron anemia, when low, it acts as an acute phase reactant and will be elevated in inflammatory conditions. Another big biomarker is Fibrinogen. This protein makes up the material of blood clot. It will elevate with inflammation associated with acute injuries or chronic ailments such as type2 diabetes.

Albumin is the primary blood protein which helps to maintain proper fluid levels within the blood vessels. Unlike the biomarkers discussed so far, the levels of albumin will actually go down with inflammatory stress. Albumin markers are important in identifying chronic illnesses like liver failure.

Monocytes, a type of white blood cells, is classified as a biomarker and they are not only elevated when an infection is present but are elevated in inflammatory conditions, as well.

I hope you learned a little of some of the biomarkers for inflammation that can be found on a blood test, The more you know, the better off you are.