HomeTests Explained
SMART CARE POLYCLINIC, DEIRA
Blood Tests Explained
Every test in our health packages, in plain English — what it measures, what the doctor is looking for, and what can move a result. 66 tests, written to be read before you decide rather than after.
Blood count and inflammation
The broadest look at what is circulating, and whether anything is inflamed.
Liver
The panel, then each enzyme and protein inside it. Enzymes say the liver is irritated; albumin and bilirubin say whether it is still doing its job.
Liver Function TestA group of measurements showing whether the liver is inflamed, obstructed, or working normally.BloodALTThe most liver-specific enzyme on the panel. It rises when liver cells are irritated.BloodASTA liver enzyme that also comes from muscle, so it is read next to ALT rather than alone.BloodAlkaline PhosphataseAn enzyme from the bile ducts and from bone. A rise points to one or the other.BloodBilirubinThe yellow pigment the liver clears from blood, reported as a total and a direct fraction.BloodAlbuminThe main protein the liver makes. It appears on both the liver and kidney panels, for different reasons.BloodTotal ProteinAlbumin plus the antibody proteins — informative mainly for the gap between the two.Blood
Kidney and electrolytes
How well the kidneys are filtering, and whether the body's salts and minerals are in balance.
Kidney Function & ElectrolytesHow well the kidneys are filtering, and whether the body's salts and minerals are in balance.BloodCreatinineThe main measure of how well the kidneys are filtering, and the basis of the eGFR figure.BloodUreaA second waste product the kidneys clear, useful mainly for how it compares with creatinine.BloodSodiumThe salt that governs body water balance — a measure of water, not of how much salt you eat.BloodPotassiumThe electrolyte that matters most to heart rhythm — acted on the same day when far outside range.BloodChlorideRead beside sodium to work out the body's acid balance rather than for its own sake.BloodCalciumA bone, nerve and muscle mineral, controlled by the parathyroid glands and vitamin D.BloodPhosphateHandled alongside calcium, and one of the first things to move as kidney function falls.Blood
Cholesterol and blood fats
The fats carried in your blood, and what each one contributes to heart risk.
Lipid ProfileThe fats in your blood — total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides — used to estimate cardiovascular risk.BloodLDL CholesterolThe fraction that deposits into artery walls, and the number treatment aims at.BloodHDL CholesterolCarries cholesterol away from artery walls. Here, higher is generally better.BloodTriglyceridesA separate blood fat that responds fast to sugar, alcohol and weight.BloodTotal CholesterolAll the cholesterol in your blood added together — too crude to act on by itself.Blood
Blood sugar
One snapshot and one three-month average — they answer different questions.
Vitamins, iron and minerals
The deficiencies that most often sit behind tiredness, hair shedding and aching.
Vitamin DMeasures your vitamin D level — deficiency is very common in the UAE despite the sunshine.BloodVitamin B12A vitamin the body cannot make, needed for nerves and for producing red blood cells.BloodFerritinMeasures your iron stores — the earliest sign of iron deficiency, well before anaemia appears.BloodIronThe iron circulating in your blood right now, read alongside ferritin rather than on its own.BloodMagnesiumA mineral involved in muscle, nerve and heart function, often low without obvious symptoms.Blood
Hormones
Thyroid, and the sex hormones measured when energy, periods or fertility change.
Thyroid TestChecks whether your thyroid is running fast, slow or normally — the gland that sets your metabolic pace.BloodTestosteroneTotal testosterone: checked in men for energy and libido, in women for PCOS, acne and unwanted hair.BloodProlactinA pituitary hormone measured when periods are irregular or absent, or fertility is a question.Blood
Joints, gout and the gut
Targeted tests, ordered when there is a specific question to answer.
Uric AcidThe waste product behind gout, which also travels with blood pressure and kidney problems.BloodRheumatoid FactorAn antibody associated with rheumatoid arthritis — supporting evidence rather than a diagnosis.BloodH. pylori TestLooks for the stomach bacterium behind most stomach ulcers, from a stool sample rather than a scope.Stool
Beyond blood
A urine sample, a heart tracing and a cuff on the arm — none needs a needle.
Urine TestScreens a urine sample for infection, blood, protein and sugar — findings the blood tests would miss.UrineECGRecords the heart's electrical activity through stickers on the skin — no needle, about five minutes.No sample neededBlood PressureA cuff on the arm, about a minute — the simplest test on the panel and one of the most consequential.No sample needed
Other tests
Also included in our packages.
CRPA fast-moving marker of infection and inflammation, checked with a simple blood test.Bloodhs-CRPA sensitive CRP that measures low-grade inflammation linked to heart and blood vessel risk.BloodApoBCounts the cholesterol-carrying particles that clog arteries: a sharper heart-risk measure than LDL.BloodLipoprotein(a)An inherited cholesterol particle that raises heart risk; most people need it measured only once.BloodAmylaseA digestive enzyme from the pancreas, checked when upper tummy pain could be the pancreas.BloodLipaseThe pancreas's fat-digesting enzyme, the most specific blood test for an inflamed pancreas.BloodStool AnalysisA routine stool test for blood, infection, parasites and signs of poor digestion.StoolCalprotectinA stool test that tells inflammation of the bowel apart from irritable bowel syndrome.StoolFasting InsulinFasting insulin, used with blood sugar to look for insulin resistance, common in PCOS.BloodEstradiolThe main oestrogen, checked for cycles, fertility, menopause and hormone balance.BloodFSHThe pituitary hormone that drives egg and sperm production, key to fertility and menopause.BloodLHThe hormone that triggers ovulation, read with FSH in PCOS and fertility checks.BloodAMHAn estimate of how many eggs remain in the ovaries, taken on any day of the cycle.BloodDHEA-SAn adrenal hormone checked when extra hair, acne or irregular periods suggest high androgens.BloodSHBGThe protein that carries testosterone and oestrogen, needed to read testosterone properly.BloodProgesteroneThe hormone that rises after ovulation; a mid-luteal level shows whether ovulation happened.BloodCortisolThe body's stress hormone, measured in the morning when it is naturally highest.BloodPSAA prostate protein that can be raised by enlargement, infection or, sometimes, cancer.BloodZincA mineral for hair, skin, healing and immunity, checked in hair loss and poor healing.BloodVitamin CChecks vitamin C, needed for healing, gums, iron absorption and immunity.BloodTIBCShows how much iron the blood could carry; with iron and ferritin it confirms iron deficiency.BloodHepatitis B TestChecks for current hepatitis B infection; part of every pregnancy's first blood tests.BloodHIV TestA 4th-generation blood test for HIV, routine in pregnancy and confidential.BloodRubella TestShows whether you are immune to rubella (German measles), which matters in pregnancy.BloodCoombs TestAn antibody screen in pregnancy that checks whether your blood could react with your baby's.BloodSyphilis TestA routine antenatal blood test for syphilis, which can be treated safely in pregnancy.BloodBlood GroupYour blood type (A, B, AB or O, positive or negative), essential in pregnancy.BloodPap SmearCervical screening that finds early cell changes before they can become cancer.Swab
Medical note. These pages explain what a test measures. They are not a diagnosis and they carry no reference ranges — those differ by laboratory, age and sex, and a result is read alongside your history by a DHA-licensed doctor.