3. WHETHER YOU’VE SUFFERED A CONCUSSION
Doctors have long struggled to come up with a protocol that accurately assesses whether you’ve suffered a concussion – a traumatic brain injury that, for some, may not result in any obvious symptoms in the hours or days following the event.
That’s a big problem – especially for athletes – because suffering a second blow to the head too soon after a concussion can be deadly or result in long-term cognitive problems. Concussions have even been linked to Alzheimer’s later in life.
But a recent study in JAMA Neurology details a simple blood test that – again, using protein markers – could reveal whether you’ve had a concussion for up to 7 days after your bump on the head.
4. THE SEVERITY OF YOUR BLUES
It can be tough for some people (and their doctors) to differentiate between healthy, happens-to-all-of-us stretches of the blues and more sinister forms of clinical depression.
And for years, experts believed it really wasn’t possible to identify mood disorders using blood tests or brain scans.
But a recent study from Austria identified a specific kind of brain chemical – also found in your blood – that can indicate whether you’re low on happiness hormones. The blood test may help doctors prescribe more effective drugs to treat clinical depression, the Austrian researchers say.
5. EVERY COLD YOU’VE EVER HAD
Like a goopy red medical record coursing through your veins, your blood can reveal to doctors every virus or cold you’ve ever endured.
According to a recent study in the journal Science, your body develops antibodies in response to the illnesses you fend off. And those antibodies continue to kick around in your bloodstream for the remainder of your life.
Apart from helping doctors learn more about how past illnesses affect your immune system, knowing which antibodies are present in your blood may help your doctor prescribe more effective drugs or remedies, the study authors say.
6. IF YOU’RE AT RISK FOR ALCOHOLISM
A specific blood chemical called “PEth” may be elevated among people who are biologically prone to alcoholism, finds research from Alcohol and Alcoholism.
The University of Illinois study authors found a jump in blood PEth among college kids who frequently engaged in binge drinking. The blood chemical has been linked to alcoholism among older adults, and may help doctors provide more effective treatment for alcohol abusers, the researchers say.
7. YOUR OUT-OF-CONTROL ANXIETY
Anxiety is the physical side of stress or worry – the tension in your shoulders, say, or a racing heart. And researchers from Hebrew University in Jerusalem say they can spot that anxiety in your blood by looking for a specific type of protein your body releases when you’re frazzled.
By checking for this protein, docs may soon be able to determine whether your anxiety is run-of-the-mill, or running out of control.
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