Both Vampires, Doctors Want Your Blood This Halloween

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vampires may want your blood for the sake of their longevity, but have you ever wondered why your doctor is also interested in it?

Well, unlike the vampire who draws blood for his own benefit, a doctor is interested in your blood for the good of your health.

"Blood carries many secrets about your health," says Karen Rizzo, MD, 2015 president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and a practicing physician in Lancaster. "Through your blood, physicians can have a better understanding of your health as blood tests can help find potential problems early."

One such problem that worries physicians is heart disease. And, through blood tests, physicians can look inside your body to learn if you're at risk or not.

So, it's not unusual for a physician to order a lipid panel to measure total cholesterol and triglycerides. It's a common test given to determine the risk of heart disease. The total cholesterol is divided into two subclasses, which are called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Science has proven that the lower your LDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, the lower your risk of heart disease. People with heart disease tend to have elevated cholesterol, especially LDL and triglycerides.

"Cholesterol is important piece of your health puzzle," says Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians President Nicole Davis, MD, who practices in Wyncote. "Keeping it in check and under control can lead to longer, healthier lives, while abnormal numbers can be traced to serious issues like heart attack and stroke."

In Pennsylvania it's no laughing matter. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, heart disease is the number one killer of Pennsylvanians. Stroke ranks up there too and is the third leading cause of death in women, and fifth for men.

On an average day in 2010, there were 86 deaths due to heart disease and 18 deaths due to stroke. For that year, 31,274 Pennsylvanians died due to heart disease, representing 25.3 percent of all deaths. In that same year, 6,629 or 5.4 percent of deaths in Pennsylvania were the result of a stroke.

Certain blood tests are also used to detect signs of cancer, although patients should not jump to conclusions if their physician orders a cancer blood test. Diagnosing a patient can be a process of elimination to find exactly what is wrong.

But a complete blood count (CBC) is a common blood test that a doctor may recommend to help diagnose leukemia and lymphoma.  It may also be used with current cancer patients to see if cancer has spread to bone marrow or to determine how a person is handling treatment.

Most recently, Science Translational Medicine, a medical journal from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, published an article that reported a new blood test could help detect a relapse of breast cancer. This blood test uses a technique called mutation tracking and has been making national headlines.

"It's exciting to learn of these types of advancements, and as we've known for many other diseases, blood can tell us a lot about a patient," says Margaret A. O'Grady, RN, MSN, OCN, who is currently president of the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology & Hematology.

According to state statistics from the Pennsylvania Cancer Incidence and Mortality 2012 Executive Summary, there were 10,652 cases of female breast cancer in Pennsylvania.

Another blood test is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. This test is used to look for warning signs of prostate cancer; however, this detection test can't fully tell a physician if a man has cancer.  But, if the results are at a level that may be of a concern to the physician, this test could lead to a physician to order a biopsy.

According to Cancer Facts and Figures, Pennsylvania 2014, prostate cancer was the third most common cancer in the Keystone State behind lung and breast. Fortunately, the age-adjusted rates of prostate cancer in Pennsylvania as well as the country showed a decreasing trend from 2001 to 2011 while the Pennsylvania rate was lower than the national rate.

"It's very clear that early detection plays an important role in beating any type of cancer," says O'Grady. "Blood tests can and do play a role in early detection for many patients of certain types of cancer."

For those planning to have a baby, expect your physician to also be interested in your blood during pregnancy. For pregnant women, a blood test might be used to monitor potential problems such as anemia, or diagnosis of possible infections such as toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is harmless to the pregnant woman, but it may cross the placenta and cause harm to the baby.

"It's important for a mother-to-be to pay close attention to their health during pregnancy," says Kurt T. Barnhart, MD, FACOG, who is currently the chair of the Pennsylvania Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

"Women should see their physician throughout pregnancy for the safety of both themselves and their baby," says Dr. Barnhart, who practices in Philadelphia. "Blood tests can be expected periodically."

Finally, when it comes to blood, the Pennsylvania Medical Society says community members should consider becoming blood donors. According to the organization, there's no substitute for human blood and one pint of donated blood could save as many as four lives.

This news release is brought to you by the Pennsylvania Health News Service Project, consisting of 21 Pennsylvania-based medical and specialty associations and societies. Members of PHNS include Pennsylvania Allergy & Asthma Association, Pennsylvania Dental Association, Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery, Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology, Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology, Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, Pennsylvania American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Medical Society Alliance, Pennsylvania Medical Society, Pennsylvania Neurosurgical Society, Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society, Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists, Pennsylvania Society of Gastroenterology, Pennsylvania Society of Oncology & Hematology, Robert H. Ivy Society of Plastic Surgeons, and Urological Association of Pennsylvania. Inquiries about PHNS can be directed to Chuck Moran via the Pennsylvania Medical Society at (717) 558-7820, [email protected], or via Twitter @ChuckMoran7.

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Medical Society