When we talk about laboratory tests, a blood test is one of the most common ones that cross your mind. Diet, starvation, exercise, posture, daily and seasonal variations, menstrual cycle, and pregnancy are the most common factors that can impact the result of a blood test. Looking for the best doctor’s clinic in Hooghly for a blood test? Learn about a few important facts first.

Factors That Can Influence Your Laboratory Tests

Is the test quick, or should you prepare in some way, such as fasting? Are you taking any medications that could affect the results, such as antibiotics or painkillers? Do you need to take the test at a specific time? So many factors are there to take into account before you go for a simple blood test. Your doctor will evaluate the reason behind your blood test and only the expert can tell you which precautions to take. If you are unsure how specific factors identified by you may affect a test, it is critical to consult with the lab first.

Before Going To The Lab, Ask Your Doctors The Following Questions:

  • What exactly is the point of requesting the test? Is it to look into signs and symptoms?
  • Are you keeping track of a medicine’s effect or disease? Is it a pre-employment screening?
  • Will this test lead to better patient care?
  • Will I be able to grasp it quickly?
  • What is the sample collection procedure?
  • What about sample collection and transportation?
  • How simple is it to understand?
  • How will they notify you of the outcome?
  • Is there any risk in taking the test?

Biological Factors 

Certain changes in lab test results can be expected due to non-modifiable factors. These are biological rhythms, age, and pregnancy-related physiological changes.

These variables can be influenced, for example, by selecting the appropriate time of day, month, or year.

However, when you are visiting the best doctor’s clinic in Hooghly, you don’t have to worry. Your healthcare provider will evaluate the variation of reference ranges or thresholds for clinical changes based on age, gender, and prenatal stage when interpreting test results.

The Ageing Process

Aside from increased polypharmacy and co-morbidity, the aging process is also responsible for the change in test results.

Older people are more likely to have abnormal reference range test results. Labs can provide age-specific reference ranges. However, in the case of other laboratory tests, an out-of-range result in an older patient should be interpreted in light of the overall clinical picture.

In some cases, assessing the magnitude and rate of change over time provides more information than interpreting the result’s value. A population range of tests, such as a liver enzyme or serum creatinine, can reveal far more changes than a patient’s. The patient’s previous results are also useful in this situation.

Conclusion

A blood test is one of the simplest yet one of the most misunderstood and least transparent procedures of medical science. But when you are in the good hands of a diagnostic center in Uttarpara, you don’t have to worry.