Electrolyte blood test with sodium, potassium and calcium
Comprehensive metabolic panel: electrolytes, kidney, liver, glucose, HbA1c, and protein.
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Included Markers
18 markersHbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin), ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase), Calcium, ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase), AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase), Bilirubin (Total), Urea (BUN), Creatinine, eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate), Glucose (Fasting), Bicarbonate, Chloride, Sodium, Potassium, Albumin, Total Protein, Bilirubin (Direct), Bilirubin (Indirect)
Behind the scenes, your body keeps a finely tuned balance, from your salt levels to your kidneys and your liver. A complete metabolic panel looks at these everyday processes and can give you insight into how your metabolism is doing right now.
This panel brings together sixteen blood values that together may say something about your fluid and salt balance, your kidney and liver function and your blood sugar. That can give you a little more grip on signals that are otherwise hard to read.
Why this test?
Vague complaints like tiredness, thirst or a bloated feeling can have many causes. A broad metabolic panel looks at a number of basic systems in your body at once, so you do not have to guess where to start.
This panel combines your electrolytes with markers for your kidneys, your liver and your blood sugar. Together they can give an impression of how your metabolism and fluid balance are doing at this moment.
Who is this test for?
This panel can be useful if you want a broader view of your metabolic health, for example with ongoing tiredness, frequent urination or thirst, or simply if you are curious about your values.
It can also be a handy starting point if you want to check in on your salt balance or your kidney and liver function. You do not need a referral from your GP.
What is tested?
This panel measures sixteen values in your blood, spread across your salt balance, kidneys, liver, blood sugar and proteins:
- Sodium: an electrolyte that helps regulate your fluid balance.
- Potassium: involved in nerve and muscle function, including your heartbeat.
- Chloride: an electrolyte that, together with sodium, helps set your fluid balance.
- Bicarbonate: involved in the acid-base (pH) balance of your blood.
- Calcium: important for bones, muscles and nerves.
- Creatinine: a waste product that can say something about your kidney function.
- eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate): a calculated estimate of how well your kidneys filter.
- Urea (BUN): a waste product from protein metabolism that your kidneys excrete.
- ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase): a liver enzyme that can reflect the condition of your liver.
- AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase): an enzyme found in the liver and muscles, among other places.
- ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase): an enzyme linked to the liver and bones.
- Bilirubin (Total): a breakdown product of red blood cells that your liver processes.
- Glucose (Fasting): your blood sugar after a period of fasting.
- HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin): gives an impression of your average blood sugar over the past weeks.
- Albumin: a protein made by your liver.
- Total Protein: the total amount of protein in your blood.
What can this test tell you?
The results can give you an impression of how different systems in your body are working together right now. Your electrolytes say something about your fluid and salt balance, while creatinine, eGFR and urea can paint a picture of your kidney function.
The liver enzymes and bilirubin may reflect how your liver is doing, and glucose and HbA1c offer insight into your blood sugar. Individual values say little on their own; it is the whole picture, combined with your situation, that can take on meaning.
How is the sample collected?
This test requires a blood draw at a certified laboratory. In the Netherlands you can choose from 700+ sample points, so there is almost always a location near you.
After ordering, you pick a location and schedule a moment that suits you. The draw itself usually takes only a few minutes, and you do not need a referral.
When is this test useful?
A metabolic panel can be valuable at different moments, for example:
- when you feel persistently tired and want a broader view of your values
- with complaints like frequent thirst, frequent urination or a bloated feeling
- when you want to check in on your kidney and liver function
- when you like to follow your metabolic health periodically to stay informed
This panel does not replace a visit to your GP, but it can give you more context for what you feel.
What do the results mean?
Your result shows each value with a corresponding reference range and a short explanation. What counts as usual can vary by laboratory and from person to person.
A value that falls outside the range does not automatically mean something is wrong; it can also relate to your diet, fluid intake or the timing of the draw. The doctor helps you place your values in the right context.
What happens after the results?
Your result is usually available online within a few working days. Each value is shown clearly with a reference range and an explanation, so you understand what you see.
Every blood test result includes a professional assessment from a BIG-registered doctor. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes. Because your glucose is affected by food, it is advisable not to eat for 8 to 12 hours beforehand and to drink only water. You receive the exact instructions with your order.
Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, potassium, chloride and calcium that are dissolved in your blood. They play a role in your fluid balance and in the working of your nerves and muscles.
No, you can order this blood test online without a referral and choose your own sample point. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.
Your result is usually available online within a few working days, with a reference range and explanation for each value.
From order to report in 4 steps
A hormone test without referral: test when you want, not only when symptoms are severe. No waiting list, just order and go.
Choose your hormone test
Browse our hormone panels and pick what you want tested. Compare markers and prices, or build a custom test.
Receive your lab referral
Within 1 business day you'll receive an email from ZorgDomein with a barcode. Orders outside business hours are processed from the next business day.
Get tested at a lab near you
Show the barcode on your phone and bring a valid ID. Done in under 15 minutes.
Receive your report from the doctor
A BIG-registered physician reviews your hormone values and writes a personal report. On your dashboard within a few business days.
Choose your hormone test
Browse our hormone panels and pick what you want tested. Compare markers and prices, or build a custom test.
Receive your lab referral
Within 1 business day you'll receive an email from ZorgDomein with a barcode. Orders outside business hours are processed from the next business day.
Get tested at a lab near you
Show the barcode on your phone and bring a valid ID. Done in under 15 minutes.
Receive your report from the doctor
A BIG-registered physician reviews your hormone values and writes a personal report. On your dashboard within a few business days.
Always a location near you
With 700+ certified phlebotomy points across the Netherlands.
What We Test
This test includes 18 biomarkers to give you a comprehensive health picture.
| No. | Biomarker | Unit | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin) reflects your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It is the gold standard for long-term blood sugar monitoring and diabetes management. | mmol/mol | 2 days |
| 02 | ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) Your ALT value shows how much alanine aminotransferase is in your blood. This enzyme sits mainly in the liver. That makes ALT the most liver-specific of the routine enzymes. When it reaches the blood, liver cells have been damaged. In adult men the reference range runs to 45 u/l, and in women to 34 u/l. A mildly raised result is common and has several causes. Fatty liver leads that list, well ahead of alcohol and hepatitis. | u/l | 1 day |
| 03 | Calcium Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, essential for strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction, nerve signalling, and blood clotting. Most calcium is stored in bones and teeth, with a small amount circulating in the blood. | mmol/l | 5 days |
| 04 | ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase) Alkaline phosphatase, usually shortened to ALP on a report, is an enzyme found in almost every tissue. Two sources account for nearly all of what reaches the blood. The first is the liver, and within it mainly the cells lining the small bile ducts. The second is bone, where the enzyme is released as new bone tissue is built. A raised result therefore does not yet say where the rise came from. That question is not answered by this one number. It is answered by the values beside it, by your age and by your situation. | u/l | 1 day |
| 05 | AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) Your AST value shows how much aspartate aminotransferase is circulating in your blood. It is an enzyme that leaks out whenever cells are damaged. AST sits in the liver, but equally in skeletal muscle, heart muscle, kidneys, brain and red blood cells. That is why a raised AST is not, on its own, a liver value. A hard training session the day before explains the result more often than liver disease does. The reference range runs up to 35 u/l in men and 31 u/l in women. What the number means only becomes clear alongside ALT, gamma-GT and CK. | u/l | 1 day |
| 06 | Bilirubin (Total) Total bilirubin measures the combined amount of direct and indirect bilirubin in your blood. Bilirubin is a waste product formed during the normal breakdown of red blood cells, and elevated levels may indicate liver disease, bile duct problems, or increased red blood cell destruction. | umol/l | 4 days |
| 07 | Urea (BUN) BUN (blood urea nitrogen) measures the amount of urea nitrogen in your blood, a waste product formed when the body breaks down protein. It is primarily used to evaluate kidney function and can be influenced by diet, hydration status, and liver health. | mmol/l | 5 days |
| 08 | Creatinine Creatinine is a waste product that is continuously produced in your muscles. The kidneys filter it out of the blood and remove it in urine. The blood creatinine level is therefore a core number for kidney function. In Dutch it is written both as creatinine and as kreatinine. Because production depends on your muscle mass, the same figure reads differently per person. A raised creatinine does not automatically point to a kidney problem. This page explains what high and low values can mean. It also covers the everyday things that shift the result temporarily. | umol/l | 1 day |
| 09 | eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is a calculated measure of how effectively your kidneys filter waste from the blood. It is the gold standard for diagnosing and staging chronic kidney disease and is derived from blood creatinine or cystatin C levels along with demographic factors. | ml/min/1,73m² | 1 day |
| 10 | Glucose (Fasting) Fasting glucose measures the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood after an overnight fast. It is one of the primary tests used to screen for and monitor diabetes and pre-diabetes. | mmol/l | 1 day |
| 11 | Bicarbonate Bicarbonate is an electrolyte that helps maintain the body's acid-base balance. It acts as a buffer in the blood, neutralising excess acids and helping to keep your pH within a healthy range. | mmol/l | 4 days |
| 12 | Chloride Chloride is an essential electrolyte that helps maintain fluid balance, blood pressure, and the body's acid-base equilibrium. It works closely with sodium and potassium to regulate these vital functions. | mmol/l | 4 days |
| 13 | Sodium Sodium is a vital electrolyte that regulates fluid balance, blood pressure, and nerve and muscle function. It is the primary cation in extracellular fluid and is closely regulated by the kidneys. | mmol/l | 2 days |
| 14 | Potassium Potassium is an essential electrolyte and mineral that helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions, nerve signals, and fluid balance. It is one of the most important minerals for cardiovascular health. | mmol/l | 2 days |
| 15 | Albumin Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood, produced by the liver. It maintains fluid balance, transports hormones and nutrients, and serves as an indicator of liver and kidney function. | g/l | 2 days |
| 16 | Total Protein Total protein measures the combined amount of albumin and globulins in your blood. These proteins play essential roles in maintaining fluid balance, fighting infections, transporting substances, and supporting tissue repair. | g/l | 5 days |
| 17 | Bilirubin (Direct) Direct (conjugated) bilirubin is the water-soluble form of bilirubin that has been processed by the liver. Elevated levels may indicate bile duct obstruction or liver disease and are an important component of liver function assessment. | umol/l | 2 days |
| 18 | Bilirubin (Indirect) Indirect bilirubin is the part of your bilirubin that your liver has not yet processed. The value is not measured separately but calculated: your total bilirubin minus your direct bilirubin, in the same unit. That split helps to show where an abnormal total is coming from. This page explains what your indirect bilirubin result can mean. | umol/l | — |
| Your result arrives once the slowest test is finished: 5 days. This is indicative; turnaround varies per laboratory. | |||
Preparation
-
No hard training beforehand
RequiredNo heavy training, long endurance sessions or anything that leaves you out of breath in the 48 hours before the draw. Normal walking is fine.
-
Come fasting
RequiredFrom 22:00 the evening before, eat and drink nothing except water. That is at least 8 hours. Skip coffee, tea, chewing gum and smoking that morning. Plan the draw before 10:00.
- Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
- Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.
Extend this panel
Tests from the same field, run on the same sample. Same draw, no second appointment.
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