Metabolic profiles can refer to blood tests that evaluate health or to profiling certain groups based on behaviors or genetics. Comprehensive panels can assess kidney and liver function, while profiles can aid in diagnosing diseases or studying large groups of people.
A metabolic profile is a term that can be used in various ways in the medical field. Some use it to refer specifically to tests that evaluate blood for certain aspects of health. These may also be called metabolic panels and can be a comprehensive panel or a baseline panel, depending on the number of tests that are performed on the blood. Alternatively, metabolic profiling could be used like profiling is used, to determine a type of something. For example, what would blood tests of various types say about people who exercise regularly or who were born to mothers with certain types of diseases? Profiling of this nature can help predict health problems or health benefits of particular groups.
The first way that the metabolic profile is used can refer to the metabolic panels. These are most often blood tests that might be ordered to look at the body function of certain types for people with diseases or to evaluate blood to determine health problems. The Complete Metabolic Panel measures 14 different items that may turn out to be. Some of the tests look at blood serum protein levels and others measure electrolyte balance, which if off can cause problems. In addition, calcium and glucose levels are measured.
A comprehensive profile or panel can assess kidney and liver function in depth by looking at how blood reflects the generation and handling of wastes by these organs. One simple difference between the full panel and the baseline panel is that the baseline panels leave out the assessment of liver function. The base panel also omits blood protein tests for albumin and total protein. Depending on the reason for the blood panel, clinicians may choose to order a basic or comprehensive profile.
In contrast to the metabolic profile referred to in a blood test that a person might have, the medical or scientific community may speak more broadly about the profile of types of people who have certain behaviors in common or have the same type of genetic background or disease prevalence . For example, to diagnose diseases, doctors look at the numbers that appear on blood tests to see if they match a profile for certain diseases. Someone with kidney disease, for example, will have distinct results on one of these blood tests that fit the profile for most or all people who have kidney disorders or disease.
When a profile or set of symptoms is established, it can be very useful for diagnosing a single person or it can be useful for studying large groups of people. Lab studies can be a little wacky or deadly serious. For example, some studies have shown that people who crave chocolate tend to have similar metabolic profiles to each other, while other studies have evaluated how trends in profiles increase the risk of developing disease, indicating a need to look more closely at people who fit certain profiles.
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