Category: Inflammation

Editorial status: Draft for named medical and laboratory review. Product URLs are supported by current Ulta Lab Tests search and internal-link evidence but still require a final in-site canonical check before publication. Obesity is a […]

A white blood cell count measures the total number of white blood cells in a blood sample. A high result is called leukocytosis; a low result is called leukopenia. Neither result names a cause by […]

Direct answer: Acute pancreatitis is a potentially serious inflammation of the pancreas that usually requires urgent clinical assessment. Diagnosis generally requires at least two of three findings: characteristic upper-abdominal pain, amylase or lipase at least […]

Direct answer: Nutrient deficiency symptoms can include fatigue, weakness, poor concentration, numbness or tingling, reduced exercise tolerance, mouth or tongue changes, and muscle symptoms, but none is specific to a deficiency. Focused blood tests for […]

Direct answer: No routine blood test can reliably screen the general population for pancreatic cancer, diagnose it by itself, or rule it out. Blood tests can reveal jaundice-related bile-flow abnormalities, anemia, metabolic changes, or pancreatic […]

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis testing usually combines two kinds of blood tests that answer different questions. TSH and Free T4 show how the thyroid is functioning now. TPO antibodies and TgAb can support autoimmune thyroiditis as the […]

HOMA2-IR, HOMA2-%B & HOMA2-%S Explained Direct answer: HOMA2 is a nonlinear computer model, not a stand-alone blood test. From compatible fasting glucose with insulin or C-peptide, it estimates insulin sensitivity (HOMA2-%S), the reciprocal insulin-resistance index […]

Quick answer: Oxidative stress is a biological imbalance in which reactive molecules exceed the body’s ability to regulate them. It may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, LDL oxidation, and atherosclerosis, but it is not a […]

CRP and hs-CRP measure the same protein but answer different clinical questions. The standard C-Reactive Protein Test is commonly used to detect or follow a broader inflammatory response. The hs-CRP Test uses a high-sensitivity assay […]

Originally published: July 11, 2026 | Substantively updated: August 26, 2026 Fatigue, brain fog, low stamina, and poor recovery can feel like an iron problem—but the symptoms are not specific enough to identify the cause. […]

CBC and anemia blood tests evaluate the number, size, and distribution of blood cells and help organize common anemia and blood-cell patterns.1 A complete blood count with differential and platelets measures red cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, […]

Inflammation and autoimmune blood tests answer different questions. General markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) can show that inflammatory activity may be present, but they usually cannot […]

Digestive health lab tests use blood, stool, and sometimes breath samples to look for objective clues related to anemia, dehydration, inflammation, infection, celiac disease, nutrient malabsorption, pancreatic enzyme problems, hidden blood in stool, and selected […]

Rheumatoid arthritis blood tests can add objective information when inflammatory joint symptoms persist, but no blood test can diagnose or exclude rheumatoid arthritis by itself. Clinicians combine the history, joint examination, laboratory findings, and often […]

A positive ANA can begin a lupus evaluation, but only the larger pattern of symptoms, disease-specific antibodies, complements, blood counts, kidney function, and urine findings can show why the result matters. What Do Systemic Lupus […]

Does High Ferritin Mean Hereditary Hemochromatosis? Not by itself. Ferritin reflects stored iron, but it also rises with inflammation, infection, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), alcohol-related liver injury, other liver disease, kidney disease, malignancy, […]

A high uric acid result can be an important clue, especially for someone who has experienced sudden attacks of severe joint pain, warmth, redness, and swelling. However, one abnormal blood result does not establish that […]

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, increases the long-term risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, kidney disease, and other complications. Because hypertension can affect several body systems without causing obvious symptoms, ongoing […]

An elevated creatine kinase (CK) result means that more of the CK enzyme is circulating in your blood than the laboratory’s reference range predicts. CK is found mainly in skeletal muscle, so an increase commonly […]

A laboratory result usually answers a straightforward question: How much of a substance is present? A biomarker ratio asks a second question: How does that result relate to another part of the same biological system? […]

“Why did my autoimmune disease show up now, after 50?” That question is common—and understandable. A new diagnosis in midlife can feel as though the immune system suddenly changed course. In reality, age 50 is […]

Vascular aging describes the gradual structural and functional changes that occur in the arteries over time. These changes may include increasing arterial stiffness, reduced elasticity, impaired function of the blood-vessel lining, chronic inflammation, and the […]

Endometriosis surgery recovery involves more than allowing external incisions to heal. Your body may also be recovering from anesthesia, internal tissue removal, inflammation, blood loss, and the physical strain of surgery. At the same time, […]

Emergency department visits for tick bites began rising unusually early in 2026. In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that weekly tick-bite emergency visits were the highest recorded for that time of […]

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition in which excess fat accumulates in the liver when the buildup is not primarily explained by heavy alcohol consumption. The condition is now more commonly called metabolic dysfunction-associated […]