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5 October 2022
What does a general blood test show?
Medically reviewed by
Dr Anojan Arulananthan, MBBS, BSC
Updated by Dr Francesca Haarer BSc, PG Cert (Med Ed), BMBS, MRCS and Dr Kate Smith BSc, MBChB January 2025
There’s no gold standard for what a ‘general blood test’ actually means, so working out what they are and what they show isn’t always easy.
To put it simply, a general blood test usually refers to a blood test that’s comprehensive enough to give a good overview of your health.
And the good news is you can do a general blood test at home.
So, what should an at-home blood test show? And can you get a complete health check from a blood test at home? Let's unpack it.
What is tested in a general blood test?
To be honest, this really depends on which test you choose as they can vary so significantly.
Most general health check blood tests measure a range of biomarkers (a specific characteristic that can be measured in your blood) to get a thorough overview of your health.
Some of the biomarkers tested in the H&B&Me general wellness blood test include:
HbA1c
HbA1c (Glycosylated Haemoglobin): Gives your average blood sugar level from the previous 3 months by measuring the amount of blood sugar (glucose) stuck to the red blood cells in your blood.¹ A raised HbA1c level can be a sign of pre-diabetes or diabetes.²
Cholesterol levels
Most general health check blood tests will test the total amount of cholesterol in your body, along with both ‘good’ (High-density lipoprotein or HDL) and ‘bad’ (Non-high-density lipoprotein or non-HDL) cholesterol.³ Too much bad cholesterol can clog your arteries and increase your risk of heart and circulatory problems.³
Liver & kidney biomarkers
Including urea for the kidney function part of the test (a waste product that your kidneys should remove most of) and bilirubin for the liver function part of the test (another waste product from the breakdown of old red blood cells).⁴,⁵ If you have kidney or liver problems, these biomarkers can build up to unhealthy levels.
Calcium levels
Calcium is a vital mineral and is needed for healthy bones, muscle movement and for your nerves to carry messages around the body.⁶ General wellness blood tests often test your calcium levels, as too much or too little can have a significant impact on your health and trigger a range of symptoms.⁶
How can you do a general blood test at home?
You can do a general wellness blood test at home by ordering an online test kit. This is usually a finger prick test.
When your test kit arrives, you take a small blood sample from your fingertip and send it back to the lab, where they’ll process your results.
Here’s a closer look at how you can do the H&B&Me general wellness blood test at home:
- Order your blood test kit from the H&B&Me website
- Receive your test kit and activate it on the app
- Follow the instructions in the kit to take your sample
- Post your sample back to us the same day
- Check back in-app to see your results and accompanying doctor’s report in 24-48 hours
We’ll let you know if any of your results are out of the normal range. You'll receive a report from a registered Doctor that explains your results and will highlight if anything needs further investigation or for you to see your GP.
How long do results take for a general blood test?
Usually, you’ll get the results of your blood test within 48 hours. Most lab processing only takes a day or two, though there can be exceptions.
If there are postal strikes, or the weekend falls straight after returning your test, this can delay things a little.
This is why you should take and post your test on a weekday to make sure you get your results back ASAP.
What can show up on a general blood test?
What can show up on a general blood test?
General wellness blood tests can show whether a biomarker is within, above, or below the accepted ‘normal’ range.
Depending on where your biomarker levels sit, they can be an indicator of certain conditions, deficiencies or diseases.
A general wellness blood test can’t diagnose anything in particular though – only a doctor or trained healthcare professional can do that.
Bear this in mind when you first get your results back, as it can be tempting to jump to conclusions. The truth is, a healthcare professional needs to look at your results in the context of your entire health history before they can give you any form of a diagnosis.
So what can it show you? Well, the kind of things that can show up on a general blood test include:
High blood sugar levels
Consistently high levels over a few months can indicate diabetes.
Iron levels
Low levels of iron may indicate you have iron deficiency anaemia.⁷
Remember, anything that shows up on your blood test results should be taken in the context of your overall health and wellness.
If you’re concerned about your results, or curious about how to get a diagnosis, then making an appointment with your GP is the best next step.
How often should I do a general blood test?
The NHS recommends that anyone between 40-74 without certain pre-existing medical conditions should have a health check every 5 years.⁸ This includes a blood test for cholesterol levels and sometimes blood sugar.⁸
If you would like to have an at-home blood test outside of this then you can consider this. At-home blood tests may help you understand what's going on inside your body and pinpoint any areas you can focus on to improve your health and wellbeing.
The final word
A general blood test can show you various biomarkers that can be a good indicator of your overall health and wellbeing. Doing an at-home blood test can be a convenient way to get a snapshot of some important areas of your health and wellbeing without having to visit your GP, but bear in mind that the results can’t give you a diagnosis – only a doctor or trained health care professional can do that.
References
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https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/looking-after-diabetes/hba1c
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https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about-diabetes/type-2-diabetes/prediabetes
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https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol