Last month I had my annual medical check for being a school employee. The Uzbek Ministry of Health requires school employees who work with children to annually undergo a pretty extensive medical examination. I have been tracking my blood results since 2005, mostly because of concerns about high cholesterol. My cholesterol levels were always over 200 mg/dL but for the past two years, it has dropped to healthy levels thanks to the 10mg statin pill I take daily. A remarkable drug that has greatly improved my entire cholesterol panel. The results report was in metric units and I uploaded it to my thinking partner Claude to have it converted to American units and give me an analysis of the results.
Overall observations:
- Your cholesterol profile is excellent
- Your blood sugar control is very good
- Your liver function tests are normal
- Your complete blood count is generally normal
- The only notable finding is the slightly low iron level
Recommendations:- Discuss the low iron level with your doctor. They might recommend:
- Iron-rich foods (red meat, spinach, legumes)
- Iron supplements
- Further testing to determine the cause
- Otherwise, continue your current healthy lifestyle as your other results are quite good
It came up with the same recommendations as my doctor did and it made me think about how AI could help patients and doctors with maintaining health. I asked AI to explain to me what the purpose of some of the tests I was not familiar with. So much better than a Google Search. When I asked about the HbA1C, this was the answer Claude supplied:
HbA1C (Hemoglobin A1C) is a very important test that shows your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It’s often called the “A1C test” for short. Your HbA1C is 4.3%, which is excellent. Here’s what different HbA1C levels mean:
- Below 5.7%: Normal (your result: 4.3%)
- 5.7% to 6.4%: Prediabetes
- 6.5% or higher: Diabetes
The test works by measuring how much glucose is attached to your hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells). Since red blood cells live about 3 months, this gives a good picture of your average blood sugar over that time period, unlike a regular glucose test which just shows your blood sugar at one moment in time. Your result of 4.3% suggests that:
- Your body is handling blood sugar very well
- You likely have good dietary habits
- You’re at very low risk for developing diabetes
For comparison, your regular glucose test was 84 mg/dL (4.66 mmol/L), which is also normal. Having both normal HbA1C and normal glucose indicates excellent blood sugar control.
Everyday I find consulting AI as a thought partner more and more compelling. I do notice mistakes from time-to-time and I still would prefer a competent human doctor to look at my results than just AI, but I am impressed with what it can do.
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