The term 'normal range' is not used very much today because it is considered to be misleading.
That would be high for a resting heart rate but 'normal' for the rate during this kind of activity. Tests results-all medical data-can only be understood once all the pieces are together. Your heart rate, like any medical observation, must be considered in context. Take one of the simplest medical indicators of all-your heart rate. If a patient's results are outside the range for that test, it does not automatically mean that the result is abnormal. The term reference values is increasing in use and is often used interchangeably with reference range. The interpretation of any clinical laboratory test must consider this important concept when comparing the patient results to the test 'reference range'.To understand what is normal for you, your doctor must know what is normal for most other people of your age and what you were doing at the time-or just before-the test or observation was conducted. For simplicity, we use the term reference range in this article. Without the proper context, any observation or test result is meaningless. Therefore, today 'reference range' or 'reference values' are considered the more appropriate terms, for reasons explained on the next page. Most people know that the 'average' heart rate is about 70 beats per minute. You can take your resting heart rate right now by putting your fingers on your pulse and counting for a minute. You probably also know that if you are a regular runner or are otherwise in good physical condition, your pulse rate could be considerably lower-so a pulse rate of 55 could also be 'normal.' Say you walk up a hill-your heart rate is now 120 beats a minute. How do you know what a 'normal' heart rate is? We know this on the basis of taking the pulse rate of millions of people over time.
Taking blood samples from patients is typically used in order to analyze aspects of the individual's health. It can allow doctors to diagnose any potential blood-related and non-blood related disorders, as well as monitoring the progress of conditions and effectiveness of treatments.
Several factors can be measured during laboratory analysis of the samples, including complete blood count, hormone and electrolyte levels, types of leukocytes, and levels of blood plasma protein.
To establish the presence or absence of a range of medical conditions, the patient's blood properties can be analyzed, and comparisons made to a set of healthy or normal values known as 'reference ranges'.
DDxHub is a concentrator that holds a lot of disease descriptions. It relies on the System knowledgebase to diagnose a health condition.
Differential diagnosis Hub is the System distinguishing of a particular disease or health condition from others.