If you’ve been experiencing some unexplained bone pain, or if you’ve been getting fractures more often, your doctor might order bone profile blood test. If you do have to get tested but aren’t very familiar with it, here is some useful information about it that you might want to know.
What Is a Bone Profile Blood Test?
A bone profile test is a type of assessment that analyzes enzymes, minerals and proteins available in your bones. It’s a way to monitor bone health and screen for conditions that may affect the skeletal system. But it can also be used to screen for diseases that aren’t bone-related.
You may have several questions in your mind. You might ask Why a blood test for a bone condition? Well, the answer is fairly straightforward. Blood circulates throughout the body, taking valuable oxygen, minerals, and other important stuff to tissues and organs, bones included. Examining and analyzing a bit of blood sample can say a lot about a person’s overall health.
For any condition, it’s no secret that early detection offers a chance for better treatment outcomes. So, the bone profile blood test not only helps doctors to diagnose disorders but also allows them to catch diseases at their early stages and begin treatment straight away.
Why Is It Important?
This test analyzes that bones are growing and maintaining themselves properly. As you get older your bone becomes weak. So this test is very important for older people.
This test can help healthcare practitioners monitor diseases such as Osteoporosis. This condition, at its worst, can make bones so brittle that even minor falls can result in bone breakage. As you grow older bone density level decreases. There are lots of factors that lead to brittle bones. This includes hormonal imbalances, too much alcohol intake, and eating disorders. Also, menopausal women are at high risk of osteoporosis. In the UK, about 3 million men and women are affected by this condition.
Paget’s disease of bone. Like osteoporosis, it is also a common metabolic bone condition. This disease affects bone transformation from old to new or resumption. Doctors who suspect their patients of having this condition would usually recommend a vitamin D test as well.
Bone cancer. This is a rare type of cancer characterized by persistent bone pain that gets worse over time. As a result, affected bones break easily.
Thyroid problems and liver disease. A bone profile can also be used to diagnose diseases that affect both the thyroid and the parathyroid. These two control calcium and phosphorus levels in the body. It can also detect problems affecting the liver.
How Is the Bone Profile Done and How Do You Prepare for It?
As the name suggests, a bone profile blood test means that a health practitioner will take a blood sample from you. The blood will be extracted using a needle and syringe, which then goes into a vial. This will be sent to a laboratory to be analyzed by medical technicians. Depending on the facility, it can take 4 to 72 hours before you can get your results.
Unlike fasting blood sugar or other blood tests, there is no need to fast before taking the bone profile. However, it’s always best to let your health practitioner know if you are taking any medications or supplements. This is because supplements for calcium, and other vitamins may affect your test results.
Test Results and Values
As previously mentioned, the bone profile measures proteins, minerals, and enzymes present in the bones. Your doctor will interpret and explain the results to you, but in case you’re wondering, here are the normal values for the test:
Calcium – This is the mineral most directly associated with bone health. NHS states that normal calcium levels should range from 2.2-2.6 mmol/L.
Albumin – Our body produces this protein in the liver. However, low albumin levels lead to low bone density. So, this test is useful to identify a condition known as osteoporosis. Normal ranges of albumin are from 35 – 50 g/L, according to the NHS.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) – This enzyme belongs to liver and bone cells. The test is used to detect bone or liver disorders. In adults, normal values for ALP are between 30 – 130 u/L.
Phosphate – These are compounds that contain phosphorus which is a mineral present in bones and teeth and, crucial for bone growth. Normal phosphate levels should be between 0.74 and 1.4 mmol/L.
A bone profile may also examine for proteins, globulin and urea.
As a final note, you will only have to get a bone profile blood test done if your doctor recommends it. If you suspect that you might have osteoporosis, or if you have been experiencing some pain in your bones that doesn’t seem to go away, it’s best to consult your doctor. However, even if you don’t have any of the above-mentioned symptoms but you have some concerns about bone health, talk to your doctor and get yourself tested.
If you want to opt for a bone profile test in private, you can contact GP.London. They offer a wide range of blood tests with utmost accuracy at reasonable rates.
