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A bicarbonate serum test is used by doctors to assess pH imbalance in your body and its associated health problems. As a serum examination, the bicarbonate serum test monitors the level of bicarbonate (HCO3) in your blood. Bicarbonate is a type of carbon dioxide in your body.
It is carried in the blood and brought to the lungs or the kidneys to be excreted. From the lungs it is exhaled out as carbon dioxide and from the kidneys it is excreted and then reabsorbed. Higher than normal levels of bicarbonate in your blood can indicate several health conditions that can be diagnosed and treated using the bicarbonate serum blood test.
A bicarbonate serum test is prescribed to patients who are at a risk of pH imbalance of the blood. This test can also be used to diagnose other conditions like liver failure, kidney problems, lung disease, and other metabolic conditions.
Although this test can be used independently to diagnose pH disorders in the blood, it is generally a part of a larger panel of blood tests. This is mainly because other contributing factors are required to be confirmed before a diagnosis can be positively made based on the bicarbonate serum test results.
The normal level of a bicarbonate serum test is 22 to 32 mmol/L in adults. Abnormal test results can indicate several health concerns including bicarbonate alkalosis and bicarbonate acidosis.
If the test results are above the normal range it can indicate conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or anorexia. Similarly, if the test results are lower than the normal range it could indicate liver failure and kidney diseases.
As a serum test it is performed by drawing blood from the veins of the patient and sending it for testing. There are no special prerequisites patients need to follow for going through this test.