What blood tests should a 70-year-old get?

Common ones include a CBC, a metabolic panel with kidney tests, HbA1c or glucose, a lipid panel and a TSH. The right list and timing depend on the person’s health and medicines, so the doctor decides.

Why do doctors check kidney function in older adults?

Kidney function often declines slowly with age, and many medicines are cleared by the kidneys. Creatinine and eGFR help the doctor follow this over time.

Is low vitamin B12 common in older adults?

It is more common with age, partly because the body absorbs B12 less well. Doctors often check it when there is anemia, numbness or memory change.

How often should an older adult have blood tests?

It depends on their health, conditions and medicines. Some tests are yearly; others are more frequent when a condition or medicine needs monitoring. Ask the doctor.

Common blood tests for older adults and what they check

November 6, 2026 · 5 min read · Vita Health Coach

The short answer

Older adults most often get a complete blood count, a metabolic panel with kidney tests, blood sugar tests such as HbA1c, a cholesterol panel and a thyroid test, with others such as vitamin B12 or iron when there is a reason. Which tests a parent needs, and how often, depends on their health and medicines, so the doctor decides. Results make the most sense as a trend over time, read with the doctor.

Why older adults get regular blood work

Blood tests help doctors check how the body is working, find problems early, and keep an eye on long-term conditions. As people age, they are more likely to have conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease or thyroid problems, and more likely to take medicines that need checking with blood tests.

There is no single list that fits everyone. The doctor chooses tests based on the person’s health, symptoms, family history and medicines. The tests below are the ones older adults see most often.

Regular results also build a record over time. For an older parent, that history is valuable, because it shows the doctor what is usual for them and makes new changes easier to spot.

Complete blood count (CBC)

A CBC counts the cells in the blood. It looks at red cells and hemoglobin, which carry oxygen, white cells, which fight infection, and platelets, which help blood clot.

In older adults, a CBC is often used to look for anemia, which means too few red cells or too little hemoglobin. Anemia can cause tiredness, weakness or shortness of breath, and it has many possible causes. The CBC also gives clues about infection and bleeding risk.

A CBC may also be repeated when someone takes a medicine that can affect blood cells, or after a hospital stay.

Metabolic panel and kidney tests

A basic or comprehensive metabolic panel (BMP or CMP) checks blood sugar, calcium and electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, which are minerals that control fluid balance and help nerves and muscles work. A CMP also includes liver tests such as ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin, and the proteins albumin and total protein.

Kidney tests are especially important with age. Creatinine and BUN are waste products the kidneys clear. The eGFR is an estimate of how well the kidneys filter blood, worked out from creatinine, age and sex. Kidney function often declines slowly with age, and many medicines are cleared by the kidneys, so doctors watch these results closely.

Sodium and potassium can be affected by some medicines, by not drinking enough fluids, and by illness. Older adults can be more sensitive to these changes, which is one reason doctors check them regularly.

Blood sugar and cholesterol

Glucose measures blood sugar at the moment of the test. The HbA1c test shows average blood sugar over about the past two to three months. Together they are used to screen for diabetes and to follow it over time.

A lipid panel measures total cholesterol, LDL (often called bad cholesterol), HDL (often called good cholesterol) and triglycerides, a type of blood fat. The doctor uses these results, along with other risk factors such as blood pressure and smoking, to judge heart and stroke risk. Goals for cholesterol and blood sugar can differ from person to person and are set by the doctor.

For some older adults, especially those with other health problems, doctors may choose less strict blood sugar goals to lower the risk of low blood sugar.

Thyroid, vitamins, iron and other tests

The TSH test (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is the usual first test of the thyroid, a gland in the neck that helps control energy and metabolism. A free T4 test is sometimes added. Thyroid problems are more common with age and can cause symptoms such as tiredness, weight change or feeling cold, which are easy to blame on aging.

Vitamin B12 is checked when there is a reason, such as anemia, numbness, or memory changes. Low B12 is more common in older adults, partly because the body absorbs it less well with age. Vitamin D may be checked in people at risk of weak bones or with other concerns.

Iron and ferritin, which reflects the body’s iron stores, are often checked when a CBC shows anemia. Ferritin can also rise with inflammation, so the doctor reads it together with other results.

Some other tests are ordered only for certain people or at certain times.

INR: measures how long blood takes to clot, often used to check some medicines that slow clotting.
PSA: a protein made by the prostate. Whether to test is a decision men make with their doctor, because the result can be raised by causes other than cancer.
CRP: a general marker of inflammation in the body.
Troponin: a protein released when heart muscle is damaged, usually tested in an emergency when a heart problem is suspected.

Reading results for an older parent

Use the reference range printed on the report, and keep earlier results so the doctor can see what is usual for your parent. A value that has been steady for years often means something different from a new change. Fluids, recent illness and medicines can all shift results, so note these when you share them.

If your parent sees several doctors, make sure each one can see the latest results, so tests are not repeated without need and nothing is missed.

Talk with the doctor about any result that worries you, and do not change any medicine because of a result without asking. If your parent has chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, a fall with injury, fainting or sudden confusion, call 911.

How Vita Health Coach helps

Vita Health Coach keeps a separate file for each person, so a parent’s blood tests stay together and apart from your own. You can take a photo of a lab report or connect a US hospital through its patient portal, with about 96,000 US hospitals and clinics in its list. Each new result is explained in plain words and compared with the last one, with the short answer first. Records are sealed on the phone with a key only that phone holds, there are no ads, and health data is never sold.

Questions people ask

What blood tests should a 70-year-old get?: Common ones include a CBC, a metabolic panel with kidney tests, HbA1c or glucose, a lipid panel and a TSH. The right list and timing depend on the person’s health and medicines, so the doctor decides.
Why do doctors check kidney function in older adults?: Kidney function often declines slowly with age, and many medicines are cleared by the kidneys. Creatinine and eGFR help the doctor follow this over time.
Is low vitamin B12 common in older adults?: It is more common with age, partly because the body absorbs B12 less well. Doctors often check it when there is anemia, numbness or memory change.
How often should an older adult have blood tests?: It depends on their health, conditions and medicines. Some tests are yearly; others are more frequent when a condition or medicine needs monitoring. Ask the doctor.

Sources

Vita Health Coach is an iPhone app that keeps a parent’s hospital results in their own file and explains each new one in plain words. Free to try; paid plans in the App Store.

Vita Health Coach on the App Store

General health information, not medical advice. Vita Health Coach explains; it never diagnoses. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. Read the medical disclaimer.