The role of blood testing in prevention, diagnosis, and management of chronic diseases: A review

Blood tests are vital to prevention, diagnosis, and management of chronic diseases. Despite this, it can be challenging to construct a comprehensive view of the clinical importance of blood testing because relevant literature is typically fragmented across different disease areas and patient populations. This lack of collated evidence can also make it difficult for primary care providers to adhere to best practices for blood testing across different diseases and guidelines. Thus, this review article synthesizes the recommendations for, and importance of, blood testing across several common chronic conditions encountered in primary care and internal medicine, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, vitamin D deficiency, iron deficiency, and rheumatoid arthritis. Future research is needed to continue improving chronic disease management through clearer dissemination and awareness of clinical guidelines among providers, and better access to blood testing for patients (e.g., via pre-visit laboratory testing).