In almost any healthcare institution, there are special laboratories where you can take tests. This helps to conduct medical research, which is important to identify the disease and establish an accurate diagnosis in a patient of this institution. A medical laboratory is designed to conduct various research methods. Let us consider in more detail what types of tests can help determine the disease.
Where can a medical laboratory be located?
In polyclinics and hospitals, there are always such laboratories, it is in them that such studies are performed:
- General clinical analysis.
- Hematological analysis.
- Biochemical analysis.
- Immunological analysis.
- Cytological analysis.
- Serological analysis.
- Microbiological analysis.
Separately, it is worth highlighting laboratories in consultations for women, special dispensaries, and even in sanatoriums. Such laboratories are called specialized, since they work exclusively in their specialization. In large medical institutions there are centralized laboratories. Complex equipment is installed in such places, so all diagnostics are performed using systems that work automatically.
What types of medical laboratories exist?
There are different types of laboratory tests, and the varieties of the laboratories themselves will depend on this:
- Bacteriological, most engaged in the study of immunity and biological diagnosis.
- A virological laboratory diagnoses diseases caused by viruses, produces viral preparations, this includes a vaccine, immune serums.
- The parasitological laboratory conducts diagnostic tests to detect invasions, for this it uses helminthological methods.
- The cytology laboratory is studying a special material that is obtained by biopsy. Often, such laboratories are located in cancer clinics.
- A separate place is taken by the forensic clinical laboratory. At this point, researchers are able to draw conclusions about biological evidence. In such laboratories, a whole range of measures is applied.
- The pathological laboratory is committed to establishing the cause of death of a patient, studies are carried out on the basis of puncture material, as well as using an aspiration biopsy.
- The sanitary-hygienic laboratory is a subdivision of the sanitary-epidemiological station; as a rule, such laboratories examine the environment.
Are patients required for laboratory testing?
Laboratory tests, the goals of which are to ensure that a clear diagnosis can be made to the patient in modern conditions, are necessary. Modern institutions can perform a huge range of different tests, which favorably affects the level of medical care and treatment of patients with various diseases. To pass such analyzes, any biological material that a person has can be useful, for example, urine and blood are most often examined, in some cases sputum, a smear and scraping are taken.
What are the results of laboratory tests for and what is their role in medicine?
Conducting laboratory tests plays an important role in medicine. First of all, obtaining test results is necessary in order to clarify the diagnosis and begin immediate correct treatment. Studies also help determine which treatment option will be optimal for each patient individually. In many cases, serious pathologies can be recognized in the early stages precisely thanks to such measures. If the diagnosis was carried out correctly, then the doctor can make an assessment of the condition of his patient by almost 80%. One of the most important materials that can tell a lot about a person’s condition is blood. Using this clinical analysis, almost all diseases can be detected. It is precisely the discrepancies with the norms that help to find out the condition, therefore, in some cases, laboratory analysis can be carried out many times.
What types of laboratory tests exist?
A clinical laboratory can perform the following tests:
- If the immunology method is used in the clinical laboratory, then such studies are mainly based on the interaction of antigens. These methods help diagnose the presence of parasites in the human body, distinguish infectious diseases, identify hormonal disorders, and also determine the tendency to allergies and pathologies. Using this analysis, you can still establish the blood group.
- A blood test in another way can also be called a hematological examination. An analysis is carried out in order to identify many diseases in which the structure of the cells changes. Such tests can reveal serious problems, for example, leukemia, myeloma, an inflammatory process in the internal organs.
- No less important is molecular biology. This laboratory study is based on a polymerase chain reaction in which DNA cells are examined. With the help of this diagnosis, it is possible to detect hepatitis and HIV infection.
- Cytological - allows you to carefully examine individual cells that are examined only under a microscope. After this, the results of the analyzes are provided, the decoding of which may indicate the presence of cancer cells in the body, autoimmune diseases are diagnosed, and inflammatory pathological processes that can develop in the patient are determined.
- A separate type of clinical analysis can be called parasitology. With the help of a special laboratory study, it is possible to recognize the presence of ticks and helminths in the body. Most often, specialists use Darling methods, as well as a native smear.
- Toxicological studies are carried out in order to detect the presence in the body of foreign bodies and substances, such as poisons and toxins.
- Biochemical analyzes are carried out much more often than others listed above. With the help of these studies, the level of protein in serum, the norms of glucose in urine and blood are determined.
What is a blood test for?
The very first laboratory test that is assigned to a patient in a clinic is a blood test. The fact is that even the slightest change in the human body will necessarily affect the composition of his blood. The fluid that we call blood passes through the entire body and carries a lot of information about its condition. Due to its connection with all human organs, blood helps to make an objective opinion about a state of health for a doctor.
Types of blood tests and the purpose of their conduct
A medical laboratory can carry out several types of blood tests, mainly their method and type will depend on the purpose of such studies, so all types of blood tests should be considered in more detail:
- The most common is a general clinical study that is conducted to identify a specific disease.
- A biochemical blood test makes it possible to get a complete picture of the work of organs, as well as in time to determine the lack of vital trace elements.
- Blood is taken so that hormones can be examined. If the smallest changes occur in the secrets of the glands, then this can turn into serious pathologies in the future. The clinical laboratory conducts tests for hormones, which allows you to organize the work of the human reproductive function.
- With the help of rheumatic tests, a whole complex of laboratory blood tests is performed, which indicate the state of the patient's immune system. Often this kind of diagnosis is prescribed to people who complain of pain in the joints, heart.
- A serological blood test allows you to determine whether the body can cope with a particular virus, and also this analysis allows you to detect the presence of any infections.
Why are urine lab tests done?
Laboratory analysis of urine is based on the study of physical qualities such as quantity, color, density and reaction. Using chemical analysis , protein, glucose, ketone bodies, bilirubin, urobilinoids are determined. Particular attention is paid to the study of sediment, because it is there that you can find particles of epithelium and impurities of the blood.
The main types of urine analysis
The main diagnosis is a general analysis of urine, it is these studies that make it possible to study the physical and chemical properties of the substance and make certain conclusions based on this, but besides this diagnosis, there are many other analyzes:
- Urinalysis according to Nechiporenko is a very detailed examination of the elements under a microscope, using this analysis, the presence of white blood cells is calculated, which normally should not exceed 2000 and red blood cells - 1000.
- Laboratory analysis of urine according to Zimnitsky allows you to more closely examine the kidneys, which should dilute urine to normal concentration.
- A urine test for sugar is taken to determine endocrine diseases, such as diabetes.
- Testing for diastasis allows you to determine the amount of blood that is contained in the urine.
- Bacteriological urine culture is given in order to determine the sensitivity and resistance of the microorganisms that caused the infection to drugs.
How is laboratory analysis for cytology performed?
To determine whether there are cancer cells in women in the body, a laboratory conducts cytology tests. In this case, the gynecologist can take a scraping from the cervix of the patient. To make such an analysis, it is necessary to prepare for it, for this a gynecologist will advise what should be done so that the analysis does not give false results. Often this clinical trial is recommended for all women over 18 years of age to undergo twice a year to avoid the formation of tumors.
How is throat swab analysis performed?
In the event that a person often suffers from diseases of the upper respiratory tract, the doctor can prescribe him a clinical test called a swab from the throat, he is done in order to be able to recognize the pathological flora in time. With the help of such a study, you can find out the exact number of pathogenic microbes and begin timely treatment with an antibacterial drug.
How is the quality control of the analyzed tests performed?
Laboratory tests of blood and urine must be accurate, since, based on this, the doctor will be able to prescribe additional diagnostics or treatment. You can tell about the results of analyzes only after the comparison of control samples with the results of measurements. When conducting a clinical study, the following substances are used: blood serum, standard aqueous solutions, various biological material. Additionally, materials of artificial origin, for example, pathogenic fungi and microbiological, specially grown cultures, can be used.
How are test results evaluated?
To give a complete and accurate assessment of the results of clinical tests, such a method is often used when the laboratory analyzes the tests in a special card and puts daily marks in it. A map is built over a certain time, for example, control materials are studied within two weeks, all changes that are observed are recorded in the map.
In difficult cases, the doctor needs to constantly keep laboratory control over the condition of his patient, for example, this is necessary if the patient is preparing for a major operation. So that the doctor is not mistaken in the results, he must necessarily know the boundaries between the norm and pathology in the analyzes of his ward. Biological indicators may vary slightly, but there are those on which you should not pay much attention. In other cases, if the indicators change by only 0.5 units, this is enough to cause serious irreversible changes in the human body.
As you can see, laboratory diagnostics, analyzes play an important role in the life of every person, as well as in the development of medicine, because with the help of the obtained clinical results, many patients manage to save their lives.