Published: 13 Aug 2024

Blood Testing for Medical Diagnosis and Monitoring

Blood testing provides valuable information for medical professionals to:

* Diagnose blood-related and non-blood-related disorders
* Monitor the progression of medical conditions
* Assess the effectiveness of treatments

Types of Blood Tests

Blood tests analyze several components, including:

* Complete blood count (identifies red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets)
* Hormone and electrolyte levels
* Types of leukocytes (white blood cells)
* Blood plasma protein levels

Interpreting Results

Blood properties are compared to reference ranges, which represent normal values. However, it's important to consider that:

* Healthy individuals may have results outside the reference range.
* Individuals with health issues may have results within the reference range.

Abnormalities in test results or persistent symptoms despite normal results warrant further investigation.

Common Terms in Blood Test Results

* Normal: Disease or substance not detected
* Abnormal: Disease or substance detected
* Inconclusive: Insufficient information to determine diagnosis

Reference Ranges

Reference ranges help determine normal values based on the test results of healthy individuals. Results within the reference range do not always indicate absence of disease.

Exceptions to Reference Ranges

Individual factors can influence test results, leading to variations from the reference ranges. This may be due to:

* Age
* Sex
* Genetics
* Lifestyle habits