Measurement Units in Blood Tests
International units (IU) are based on biological activity or effect, or specific equivalent mass for certain substances.
Reference Ranges
Reference ranges for blood tests are sets of values used to interpret test results. Measurement units vary by region:
* United States: Deciliters (dL)
* Sweden and most of the rest of the world: Liters (L)
* United Kingdom and parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand: Molar concentration (mol/L)
* Enzyme activity: Katal (kat) for liver function tests (e.g., AST, ALT, LD, v-GT)
Lab Tests
Lab tests are used to:
* Screen: Identify higher risk for disease
* Diagnose: Confirm presence of disease
* Monitor: Track disease progression and treatment effectiveness
* Check overall health: assess general well-being
Types of Tests
* Complete blood count: Measures various blood components
* HPV test: Detects HPV infection
* Pap test: Screens for cervical cancer
* Blood glucose test: Monitors diabetes
Uses of Lab Tests
* Identify health problems before symptoms appear
* Diagnose and rule out diseases
* Monitor disease progression and treatment effectiveness
* Assess overall health and risk for diseases
* Provide information for diagnosis and treatment decisions
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.