Laboratory Testing

Health and wellness tests are a part of routine checkups and can assist a clinical specialist, in establishing a routine baseline for your health. This helps any medical specialist, to monitor trends and spikes in specific health metrics.

Who should get testing?

These screenings are extremely important for everyone, as there are many common diseases and conditions, that are caught early on, thanks to standard frequent screenings. It should be an annual routine for any fully healthy individual, at least twice a year every 6 months, as recommended by specialists. Even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, these check ups can help you identify what conditions your body is particularly vulnerable to and how to treat or even completely avoid them.

The regularity of the testing is particularly important, as each person’s baseline health varies somewhat. What is normal for one person may be unusual for another. The only way to tell the difference is to establish a health baseline to compare results against.

The comprehensive metabolic panel takes 14 different measurements with a blood sample and can help identify diabetes as well as kidney and liver problems.

Allergies can be managed with prevention and treatment. The first step to allergy testing is to determine what’s causing a histamine response in the body. Testing is usually diagnostic, or done after you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction.

By reviewing the symptoms, a primary care physician or a clinical specialist can prescribe and perform tests. When both past reactions and testing indicate an allergy, it can enable treatment or avoidance of the allergen.

It’s uncommon to do broad screening for allergies if you’ve never had an allergic reaction.

If you are being treated for allergies, testing may be used to monitor your response, or to determine if you still have hypersensitivity.

Who should get testing?

Usually, allergy testing is performed after you experience a reaction to food, the environment, or animals. For example, someone who eats peanut butter and experiences a flare-up after a first-taste, showing signs like watering eyes and nose, a rash, coughing or difficulty breathing, hives, itching, or swelling. A clinical professional will recommend an allergy panel to confirm the allergy and check, if there are other foods or environmental factors that could trigger a reaction.

A health care professional also might recommend allergy testing if symptoms last longer than two weeks and keep returning to identify acute or chronic allergies. If you feel like you are always getting sick with congestion or a cough, a specialist can perform testing to determine, if asthma or allergies are present.

There are different ways to test for allergies, a clinical specialist or doctor can recommend what type of testing is best, based on the symptoms you are experiencing.

When it comes to making health decisions or family planning, genetic testing is playing an increasingly larger role.

Genetic tests can be used to diagnose certain diseases. It can help determine the optimal course of treatment for diseases like cancer, find transplant candidates, and other family genetic details.

Certain genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, are related to having a particular single gene, testing for that gene can help inform the right medical course of action. Other genetic disorders are more challenging to identify because they are linked to multiple genes.

Who should get testing?

Genetic testing can be appropriate in a variety of situations, such as the following:

• If you or a doctor suspects you have a genetic condition.

• If you have a disease for which genetic testing can help determine the course of treatment or medication that works best.

• If one of the partners in a relationship has a genetic disease, they may want to test, to see, if the other partner carries the same gene, which could impact any future offspring.

• Genetic testing is sometimes done as part of prenatal screening on fetuses so that proper care can be provided after the child is born should any disorders be detected.

• For certain cancers, having genetic testing for targeted cancer therapy can help determine the best medication or treatment options.

For anything medical-related, consult with a doctors to determine, if and how genetic testing can help with diagnosis or treatments for you. With some disorders or diseases, genetic testing will be standard practice; for others.

There are many types of genetic tests and may include blood tests, physical exams, oral swabs, urine tests, and stool samples.

Testing can help assess your nutritional status, so you can make intentional choices to treat potential deficiencies in your diet. Tests may be part of a routine health screening or ordered, when someone experiences signs and symptoms of malnutrition.

Who should get tested?

Deficiency symptoms vary widely and some are even mild enough to be easily ignored. Some major signs of a deficiency include:

• Brittle hair and nails

• Mouth ulcers or cracks in the corners of your mouth

• Bleeding gums

• Poor night vision or white growths in your eyes

• Scaly patches on your skin or dandruff

• Hair loss

• Red or white bumps on your skin

• Restless leg syndrome

Even if you are not experiencing any of these symptoms, you may still have a nutritional deficiency. If you are concerned about your nutritional health, getting tested, can support to prevent any concerns you have. Testing such as a vitamin blood test for vitamin deficiency or a vitamin and mineral deficiency test, may help point out, the cause of a variety of health issues.

There are many different types of vitamin and nutritional testing available. Most require taking a blood sample. Most common nutritional tests, are knowingly referred to as a vitamin panel test or a vitamin blood test.

Heavy metal and toxin tests are used to verify exposure to harmful levels of environmental elements. These tests are not typically a part of routine health screenings, yet may be ordered if you experience signs or symptoms of heavy metal poisoning.

Who should get testing?

It is important to seek testing if you think you may have been exposed to a potentially dangerous toxins or heavy metals , including, but not limited to:

• Arsenic

• Cadmium

• Chromium

• Lead

• Mercury

Symptoms of exposure may include the following:

• Abdominal pain

• Chills

• Diarrhea

• Muscle weakness

• Nausea or vomiting

• Shortness of breath

• Tingling of the hands or feet

There are many different kinds of tests that detect heavy metals or toxins in your body. Depending on which toxin is being looked for, you may be required to provide a sample of urine or blood, or even fingernails and hair. However, blood and urine are the most commonly used samples.

There are many different kinds of tests that detect heavy metals or toxins in your body. Depending on which toxin is being looked for, you may be required to provide a sample of urine or blood, or even fingernails and hair. Blood and urine are the most commonly used samples.

Cholesterol tests, also included in lipid panels, comprehensive heart panels, or cardiac panel blood tests, are used to screen for unhealthy levels of cholesterol. Since high cholesterol presents no symptoms, the only way to determine if you are at risk, is through a cholesterol blood test.

Who should get testing?

Specialist recommend patients begin cholesterol testing between the ages of 9 and 11, with subsequent testing every five years after. If there is a family history of high cholesterol, heart attacks, or strokes.

Once men reach age 45 and women age 55, testing should increase to every one to two years. After age 65, it is important to get tested every year.

Certain medical conditions can also cause unhealthy levels of cholesterol, including chronic kidney disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, hypothyroidism, and lupus. Medications to treat conditions such as acne, cancer, high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, irregular heart rhythms, and organ transplants, can increase cholesterol levels.

How often you should get a cholesterol test, will be determined based on your age, risk factors, and family medical history.

There are different types of cardiac panel and cholesterol tests. Your clinical specialist may recommend a specific test based on your risk factors. Most cardiac tests require a blood sample to be taken.

Tests are used to detect a hormone imbalance or determine if ongoing hormone therapy is having an effect.

Who should get testing?

It’s normal for hormone levels to fluctuate. There are even certain stages of life when you should expect a more dramatic shift in your normal hormone levels, such as puberty, pregnancy, or menopause.

However, other factors may cause an imbalance outside of those expected times. An imbalance can be caused by high levels of stress, steroid use, or even certain medications. Chronic hormone-related issues can often be attributed to tumors, adenomas, or other growths, damage to the endocrine gland, or an autoimmune disorder. Male hormone testing and female hormone testing varies.

There are many medical conditions that can be caused by a hormone imbalance, such as:

• Anxiety

• Constipation

• Depression

• Diarrhea

• Dry skin and hair

• Extreme thirst and frequent urination

• Fatigue

• High cholesterol levels

• Irregular heartbeat

• Numbness or tingling in the hands

• Sensitivity to temperature fluctuation

• Skin tags

• Unexplained weight fluctuation

There are many different kinds of hormone tests, most of which involve fluid testing of some type. Typically either blood or urine.

You can test for the presence or level of an antibody in blood using a serology test. The test can show, whether your body could protect you from getting an infection, or from getting severe disease symptoms.

Who should get an immunity test?

Antibody testing can identify antibodies for a specific disease-causing agent. You can also get antibody testing to identify a potential autoimmune disease.

To find out if you’ve had a recent or past infection, you may need an antibody test – especially if you may have been infected but are asymptomatic and want to protect others’ health. Antibody tests can identify your vaccination status or may determine whether a vaccination is effective and your body has enough protection. Some employers or organizations require an antibody titer test as proof of vaccination.

Antibody tests can be qualitative or quantitative. A qualitative test shows a reactive or non-reactive result. A quantitative test shows, how many antibodies are in your system (titer). If a certain amount is present, it shows you have been vaccinated or exposed to a specific pathogen. The presence of a certain amount of antibodies can prove, you’ve been vaccinated or exposed to a particular pathogen. Blood is analyzed to measure dozens of specific antibodies.

Thyroid function testing can be used in several ways, including:

• Diagnosis – this testing aims to find the cause of symptoms. Thyroid function testing can reveal whether the thyroid gland is functioning normally or abnormally and what specific disorder you may have.

• Screening – this is testing for disease in the absence of symptoms.

• Monitoring – thyroid blood tests provide valuable information about whether treatment for thyroid disorders is working as it should or if it needs adjustment.

Who should get testing?

Thyroid function testing is often ordered when patients have symptoms of a thyroid disorder. Testing can assist with diagnosing or ruling out thyroid problems as a cause of your symptoms.

Many of the symptoms of common thyroid problems are nonspecific. There is a wide range of diseases and disorders which may cause them. Thyroid function testing, which may be referred to as a full thyroid panel, complete thyroid panel, extended thyroid panel or other thyroid lab tests, may be included with other tests to evaluate, if you are having trouble with non-specific symptoms such as, fatigue, depression, or difficulty becoming or staying pregnant.

In addition to being used for diagnosis, thyroid function tests, may be performed to screen for thyroid disease in patients who have no symptoms. Some experts recommend screening certain groups, who are at higher risk of having an underactive thyroid. These risk factors may include:

• Age

• Family history of thyroid disease

• Personal history of type I diabetes

• Personal history of autoimmune disease

• Personal history of radiation to the head and neck

Thyroid function tests are also used for treatment monitoring. Patients with known thyroid disorders will have periodic thyroid function testing to ensure their treatment is effective.

A number of blood tests may be used to screen for and diagnose thyroid disorders.

Cancer tests can be used to diagnose, screen for, and monitor cancer.

Diagnosis: Cancer diagnosis tests can indicate the type of cancer you may have, which can guide your treatment options. This type of test can also rule out cancer.

Screening: Cancer screening tests are used to check your body for the presence of disease before you have symptoms. Screening can help identify cancers early, when treatment is the most likely to work well.

Monitoring: As cancer progresses or you go into remission, monitoring tests can guide your health care team to determine treatment success or cancer recurrence.

Who should get testing?

A doctor may order cancer diagnosis testing based on symptoms or a cancer screening test result that suggests cancer.

Cancer screening tests are most often recommended for people who are considered at high risk. You’re considered to be at higher risk for developing cancer if you have any of the following:

• A personal history of cancer

• A family history of cancer

• Gene mutations linked to cancer

• Past exposure to cancer-causing agents such as workplace chemicals or tobacco

• A blood clot that developed for no known reason

• Older age

If you have a high risk of cancer, it is important to be screened more often or at an earlier age than the general population.

People who are not at high risk should still get cancer screening at various points in their lives. There are cancer screening guidelines based on age:

Ages 25 to 30:

• Cervical cancer screening

Ages 40 to 29:

• Breast cancer screening begins at age 40 or 45

• Cervical cancer screening

• Colorectal cancer screening begins at age 45

Ages 50+:

• Breast cancer screening

• Cervical cancer screening

• Colorectal cancer screening

• Lung cancer screening for people who smoke or formerly smoked

• Prostate cancer screening

Laboratory tests in which samples of tissue, blood, urine, or other substances are taken and analyzed in a lab setting may be used in patients with known risk factors.

Genetic tests in which a lab analyzes cells or tissue for changes in your genes or chromosomes, which could be a sign you’re at risk of developing cancer.