Blood - one of the most important marker in medical diagnostics
The new issue of SYNERGIE, the DZG's research magazine, is all about blood and blood counts. Find out more about the numerous and important functions of blood in our body and why blood counts have become indispensable for medical diagnostics.
7,200 liters of blood flow through our organs every day. It supplies the human body with oxygen, transports hormones to the cells where they are needed and carries nutrients from food to tissues and organs. It also helps to ward off pathogens and balances our body temperature.
In addition, blood can provide insights that have become indispensable for medical diagnostics. When taking a blood sample - one of the most important diagnostic methods in medicine - the number and type of cells in the fluid can be determined. The "blood count" can help to detect anaemia, infections, diabetes or blood diseases. However, our blood can tell us much more about our body: if certain enzyme levels are elevated, this can indicate problems with the liver or kidneys. Imbalances in electrolytes or minerals indicate kidney disease or hormonal imbalances. If proteins such as troponin are elevated, this can indicate heart problems, while elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Infections with HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, the West Nile virus and other pathogenic viruses, bacteria and parasites can also be detected in the blood, as can proteins that indicate brain diseases.
Researchers at the German Centers for Health Research (DZG) are working on our blood in numerous projects. It still holds many secrets and developments in science and technology have opened up new possibilities to better understand, recognize and treat diseases.
Read the full article and many other exciting articles in the new issue #2 | 2023 of SYNERGIE magazine. The magazine of the German Centers for Health Research is published twice a year online and as a printed edition.