Pathology tests are the lifelines in today’s healthcare system as they provide doctors with relevant information about what is going on inside a person’s body. Whether one is undergoing testing for a particular disease, monitoring an existing condition, or simply ensuring their health is in the right condition, pathology tests provide important information that helps make pertinent medical decisions. In this lengthy article, we will discuss other forms of pathology tests, their reasons for existence, and in which situations a person may need one.
What Are Pathology Tests?
Pathology, as a medical discipline, is focused on understanding diseases and their consequences. Pathology tests are based on the examination of specimens taken from the body, including blood, urine, stools, tissue, and others. Such tests assist physicians in properly caring for patients suffering from a wide range of conditions, infections, and inflammation, with cancer and autoimmune disorders being among them.
Pathologists, who are medical doctors but spend the day analysing these tests rather than the alpha version of these tests, provide the information that allows for treatment and diagnosis.
To sum up, pathology tests not only concentrate on determining an existing disease but also play a key role in maintaining good health and even preventing surgery in the treatment of health problems.
Types of Pathology Tests and What They Diagnose
Pathology comprises a variety of tests, each focused on analysing a different dimension of your health. Let us examine the most well-known varieties of pathology tests:
1. Clinical Biochemistry
Analytical therapeutics or clinical biochemistry is concerned with the analysis of chemical materials present in blood, urine, and other body fluids. The tests are designed to evaluate the status of the examined organs and help in diagnosing conditions such as diabetes, liver disease, and kidney ailments.
Tests in Clinical Biochemistry Include:
- Liver function tests: This is a blood test to check the levels of liver enzymes and proteins to evaluate the functioning of the liver. This blood test can determine liver conditions like hepatitis or diseases that cause scarring of the liver, such as cirrhosis.
- Kidney function tests: These laboratory tests estimate how efficiently the kidneys clear the blood of waste materials. They may be useful in identifying kidney injury or chronic renal failure.
- Glucose tests: A glucose test measures blood sugar levels and is used for the diagnosis and management of diabetes.
- Cholesterol and lipid tests: Blood tests that assess the degree of fat in the blood, known as cholesterol and lipid tests, are a risk factor for heart disease.
2. Haematology
Haematology is the medical specialty that deals with blood and blood-forming tissues, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Blood tests in this field are typically performed for testing and monitoring purposes in cases of anaemia, infections, leukaemia, and for testing blood coagulation.
Examples of Blood Testing Procedures:
- Full blood count (FBC): This test determines the values of blood components such as red and white blood cells, platelets, and other values such as haemoglobin. It is often used for assessment in Normocytic Aplasia and MDS, as well as in the diagnosis of infections and haematological malignancies.
- Coagulation tests: Coagulation tests refer to tests that determine how fast the body forms a blood clot in relation to time. They are useful in the diagnosis of bleeding disorders, for example, haemophilia, and in the therapy of patients who take anticoagulants.
- Bone marrow biopsy: This is another test that can be classified as a more advanced haematology test. It entails the collection and examination of bone marrow to assess the presence of blood-related conditions like leukaemia or lymphoma.
3. Microbiology
Microbiological tests are performed to assess the presence of an infectious agent, whether bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic. These tests enable physicians to pinpoint the responsible pathogen behind an infection so that accurate treatment can be given, particularly in cases where antibiotics or antiviral medication is needed.
Popular Microbiology Tests:
- Urine culture: Used to recover bacteria from the urinary tract to establish a diagnosis of a UTI.
- Blood culture: Helps to identify any bacterial or fungal organisms in the blood, which is particularly important in diagnosing life-threatening conditions such as sepsis.
- Stool sample: Helps determine the cause of infectious diarrhoea due to a bacterial or parasitic infection or because of a viral insult, such as food poisoning.
4. Immunology & Serology
Immunology tests evaluate the performance of the body’s immune system, as well as the presence of autoimmunity, allergies, and infections. Serological tests, a subdivision of immunology, involve checking for antibodies in the blood to establish infections that one may have or if one’s body has formed defences against such infections.
Some Of The Most Common Immunology Tests:
- Allergy tests: These assess the body’s sensitivity to potential allergens, such as pollen, dust, or food. This helps in pinpointing the allergy-causing agent.
- Autoimmune diseases tests: These tests look for specific antibodies that attack the body’s tissues, making it easier to diagnose common autoimmune diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis.
- Tests for HIV and hepatitis: A serological assay checks for the presence of HIV from designated viruses, also demonstrating the exosomes released in the body as a result of viral exposure.
5. Histopathology and Cytopathology
Histopathology and cytopathology are fields involved in the microscopic evaluation of tissues and body fluids in diagnosing diseases, most importantly cancer. A classic example is a biopsy where a tissue sample is obtained from an organ to assess any cancer or other abnormal cells present.
Common Tests for Histopathology and Cytopathology:
- Biopsy: A piece of tissue is removed from the body and analysed for the presence of disease, such as cancer, inflammation, or infection. This procedure is frequently performed when a physician diagnoses a patient with a mass or abnormal growth.
- Pap smear: A simple cytology test performed on women to assess the epithelial cells of the cervix for the presence of cervical cancer.
- Fine needle aspiration: A diagnostic procedure where a thin hollow needle is inserted into an abnormal mass to obtain tissue or fluid for pathological examination, most often performed on lumps or swellings.
6. Molecular Pathology
Molecular pathology diagnoses diseases by analysing genetic material (DNA, RNA, and proteins) at a molecular level. This is particularly advantageous when diagnosing inborn errors of metabolism, certain cancers, and in treatment plans that seek to tailor therapies to individuals.
Examples of Typical Molecular Pathology Tests Include:
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): Used to stain, amplify, and visualise genetic material to view either tumours or mutations or infections. It is commonly used to screen infections with viruses such as COVID-19 and HIV.
- Next generation sequencing: This complex test analyses the composition of the DNA sequence of an individual and finds changes which may cause disease, e.g., in the case of cancer, and also helps in diagnosing genetic diseases.
- BRCA1/BRCA2 tests: These tests screen for changes in specific genes associated with susceptibility to breast and/or ovarian cancer and inform measures for risk and treatment.
Why Should You Care About Pathology Tests?
Pathology tests are critical components of medical care. You can even be healthy, and these tests will show that there are health problems which do not yet have symptoms. This is why pathology tests are very important:
1. The Importance of Early Diagnosis:
Certain ailments, including cancer, diabetes, or perhaps even cardiac afflictions, do not reveal symptoms until they have reached an advanced stage. Fortunately, such diseases can often be diagnosed through pathology even before any clinical symptoms appear. This enhances the possibility of treatment being successful or the disease being cured before it fully develops.
In quite a similar manner, a simple cholesterol test may advise you against high levels of saturated fats and the risk of acquiring heart conditions.
2. Management of Chronic Illnesses
Once a chronic condition has been established, for instance, diabetes, hypertension or a thyroid condition, it is quite important to carry out regular pathology tests to keep the disease in check. These tests monitor the treatment’s effectiveness and indicate if any changes would be required in the ongoing treatment regime.
For example, if a patient is suffering from diabetes, blood analysis would assess glucose level control in relation to medications a physician might alter or activities a patient may need to undertake to better manage their lifestyle.
- Assisting in Decisions Regarding Treatment: In some cases, pathology tests can enable the customisation of treatment regimens tailored to individual patients. For instance, targeted therapy in some cancers works better for patients with certain genetic alterations. Targets for these mutations can be found through molecular pathology tests, enabling doctors to treat patients more appropriately.
- Preventive Health Care: Tests performed regularly, or pathology tests, can serve as a net to assist in identifying health-related issues beforehand. Cholesterol levels, blood pressure tests, as well as genetically predisposed types of screenings, put you at risk for diseases such as heart disease or cancer, among others. Having this information, you and your doctor can find ways to reduce these risks by changing some of your habits or using preventive medical measures.
When Should You Consider a Pathology Test?
It is not necessary for one to be unwell for a pathology test to be relevant. Here are a few examples where a pathology test may be necessary:
- Routine health checks: A GP can recommend blood tests and other pathology tests as part of a regular health check to ascertain that all parts of the body are working in unison.
- If you have symptoms: In case you have symptoms such as unexplained fatigue, weight loss, a fever, or pain, a pathology test would help find out what the problem is.
- Management of chronic diseases: Testing is essential for patients with chronic diseases to evaluate the course of the disease as well as the efficacy of treatment.
- Pre-operative care: Pathology tests may also be indicated before surgery or any other type of treatment to ensure the patient is fit for the procedure or invasive technique.
How to Interpret Your Pathology Test Results
Usually, the results of a test will contain a ‘reference range’ showing what is normal. They do not mean that you should panic if the results are outside this range. Your physician will interpret the results and advise you whether they are normal for you and what other steps, if any, are necessary.
Reinforcing the importance of seeing your doctor, any test results should be considered in relation to the health of the whole person.
The Role of Pathologists
Pathologists are the medical experts who assess the results of various pathology tests. While you may not interact with them directly, their contribution is very significant to your healing process. They work with your general practitioner or specialist to ensure that you are diagnosed correctly and cared for effectively.
Conclusion
Pathology evaluations form a vital component of medicine as they give information about the state of human health. Be it for establishing the presence of a disease, tracking an existing one, or even assessing a client’s state of health, these tests give pertinent information that may influence health-seeking behaviour.
Pathology tests range from simple blood tests to more advanced tests like genetic screening, empowering the patient to actively manage their general health status and eliminate any latent health threats at an early stage. So, the next time your caregiver recommends a test, look at it this way – it is a way of ensuring that your health is intact and you are receiving the right treatment.