Lab Tests
This section provides information about lab tests your doctor
may use to screen for certain diseases or conditions. For tests
you can do at home, see the section on Home
Use Tests. You can also use the glossary
from this page.
What are lab tests?
Laboratory tests are medical procedures that involve testing samples
of blood, urine, or other tissues or substances in the body.
Why does your doctor use lab tests?
Your doctor uses laboratory tests to help:
- identify changes in your health condition before any symptoms
occur
- diagnose a disease or condition before you have symptoms
- plan your treatment for a disease or condition,
- evaluate your response to a treatment, or
- monitor the course of a disease over time.
How are lab tests analyzed?
After your doctor collects a sample from your body, it is sent
to a laboratory. Laboratories perform tests on the sample to see
if it reacts to different substances. Depending on the test, a reaction
may mean you do have a particular condition or it may mean that
you do not have the particular condition. Sometimes laboratories
compare your results to results obtained from previous tests, to
see if there has been a change in your condition.
What do lab tests show?
Lab tests show whether or not your results fall within normal ranges.
Normal test values are usually given as a range, rather than as
a specific number, because normal values vary from person to person.
What is normal for one person may not be normal for another person.
Some laboratory tests are precise, reliable indicators of specific
health problems, while others provide more general information that
gives doctors clues to your possible health problems. Information
obtained from laboratory tests may help doctors decide whether other
tests or procedures are needed to make a diagnosis or to develop
or revise a previous treatment plan. All laboratory test results
must be interpreted within the context of your overall health and
should be used along with other exams or tests.
What factors affect your lab test results?
Many factors can affect test results, including:
- sex
- age
- race
- medical history
- general health
- specific foods
- drugs you are taking
- how closely your follow preparatory instructions
- variations in laboratory techniques
- variation from one laboratory to another
How can you get more information about
lab tests?
The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and other
prominent laboratory associations have created a detailed website
about clinical lab testing. You can use this website to learn general
information about lab tests as well as specific information about
lab tests your doctor may prescribe.
See also:
Lab
Tests Online
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