CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More

Add To Favorites

Ver en español

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

Test Overview

A comprehensive metabolic panel is a blood test that measures your sugar (glucose) level, electrolyte and fluid balance, kidney function, and liver function.

Glucose is a type of sugar your body uses for energy. Electrolytes keep your body's fluids in balance. They also help keep your body working normally, including your heart rhythm, muscle contraction, and brain function. The kidneys help keep the right balance of water, salts, and minerals in the blood. They also filter out waste and other unneeded substances from the blood. The liver helps with digestion and produces some vitamins and other substances that the body needs. It also controls the amounts of glucose, protein, and fat in the blood and releases substances that keep your immune system healthy.

Your doctor may order a comprehensive metabolic panel as part of a regular health examination. Your doctor may use this test to check on a medical condition, such as high blood pressure, or to see if a medicine you are taking is harming your kidneys or liver.

This panel measures the blood levels of albumin, blood urea nitrogen, calcium, carbon dioxide, chloride, creatinine, glucose, potassium, sodium, total bilirubin and protein, and liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase).

You may be asked to stop eating and drinking for 8 to 12 hours before you have this blood test.

Credits

Current as of: May 13, 2023

Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.

© 1995-2024 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.