Your doctor may order lab test to 1) confirm a diagnosis, 2) rule out a diagnosis, 3) screen for or detect a condition or 4) monitor therapy. This post presents some of the most common groups/panels of med lab tests. Each test is listed as part of a group of tests used to evaluate 1) a general subject area, 2) an organ system, or 3) a disease. You will notice that some tests are part of more than one panel. Few tests, taken by themselves confirm or rule out, without any doubt, the presence of a disease. Human body is a very complex system and it does not always follow a specific rules, particularly when it is malfunctioning. Therefore, when you are in trouble you need the objective and trained eye of a professional ( i.e. your doctor). Do not be your own doctor, even if you are a doctor. WHAT IS PRESENTED HERE IS JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE A MEDICAL ADVICE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON AS SUCH.
ANEMIA EVALUATION TESTS
1) CBC & Diff.( complete blood count and differential)
--it consists of white blood cell count, red blood cell count, white blood cell differential, hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelet count.
2) Reticulocyte (immature red blood cell) count
3) Iron (Fe) and iron binding capacity ( IBC).
4) Ferritin
5) Vitamin B12 and Folate
BONES/JOINTS EVALUATION TESTS
1) Albumin 5) Total protein
2) Alkaline phosphatase 6) Uric acid
3) Calcium 7) MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
4) Phosphorus 8) X-Ray
CARDIAC INJURY/RISK EVALUATION TESTS
1) CK ( creatine kinase) 5) Cholestrol
2) CK isoenzymes --HDL ( high density lipoprotein)
3) LD ( lactate dehydrogenase) --LDL ( low density lipoprotein)
4) Glucose 6) Triglycerides
COAGULATION ( BLOOD CLOTTING) EVALUATION TESTS
1) Bleeding time 4) PTT ( partial thromboplastin time)
2) Coagulation factor screen 5) platelet count
3) Fibrinogen 6) PT ( prothrombin time
COLLAGEN DISEASE AND ARTHRITIS EVALUATION TESTS
1) ANA ( antinuclear antibody)
2) C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP)
3) Rheumatoid factor (RF)
4) Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
COLLAGEN DISEASE/ SLE (SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS) EVALUATION TESTS
1) ANA (antinuclear antibody)
2) ANT-DNA
3) ANT-ENA (anti-extractable nuclear antigen)
4) C3 and C4 ( complements C3 & C4 )
DRUG COMA/ OVERDOSE PANEL
1) Ammonia 7) Phenobarbital
2) Calcium 8) Salicylates (ASPRIN)
3) Creatinine 9) Alcohol ( ethanol, isopropanol, methanol)
4) Glucose 10) Toxicology screen ( urine & serum)
5) Lactic acid
6) Osmolality
DIABETES EVALUATION TESTS
1) Carbon dioxide 6) Hemoglobin A1c
2) Chloride 7) Potassium
3) Cholesterol 8) Sodium
4) Creatinine 9) Triglycerides
5) Glucose (fasting & 2hr PC)
ACID-BASE AND FLUID BALANCE PANEL
1) Anion gap 4) Electrolytes( CO2, Chloride, K+, Na+ )
2) BUN ( blood urea nitrogen)
3) Calcium
6) Phosphates 5) Osmolality ( plasma, urine )
GENERAL HEALTH EVALUATION TESTS
1) Albumin 8) Glucose
2) Alkaline phosphatase 9) LD ( lactate dehydrogenase)
3)AST(aspartate aminotransferase 10) potassium ( K+)
4) BUN (blood urea nitrogen) 11) Sodium ( Na+)
5) Calcium 12) Total bilirubin
6) Cholesterol 13) Triglycerides
7) Creatinine 14) Uric acid
HYPERTENSION EVALUATION TESTS
1) BUN 7) Sodium (Na+)
2) CO2 8) Thyroxine ( T4)
3) Chloride 9) Urinalysis
4) Colony count (urine) 10) urinary VMA (vanillylmandelic acid)
5) Creatinine 11) urinary free cortisol
6) Potassium ( K+)
HEPATIC PANEL ( LIVER FUNCTION TESTS)
1) Albumin 6) GGT (gamma-glutamyl transferase)
2) Alkaline phosphatase 7) PT ( prothrombin time)
3) ALT ( alanine aminotransferase) 8) Total bilirubin
4) AST (aspartate aminotransferase) 9) Total protein
5) Conjugated bilirubin
HEPATITIS, IMMUNOPATHOLOGY PANEL
1) Anti-HBc (antibody to hepatitis B core antigen
2) Anti-HBe
3) Anti-HBs (anti-hepatitis B surface antigen
4) Anti-hepatitis A (IGM)
5) HBeAg (hepatitis Be antigen
6) HBsAg (hepatitis B surface antigen
MALIGNANCY EVALUATION TESTS
1) AFP (alpha fetoprotein)
2) Alkaline phosphatase
3) B-HCG (B-human chorionic gonadotropin)
4) CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen)
5) LD (lactate dehydrogenase)
6) PAP ( prostatic acid phosphatase)
PANCREATIC FUNCTION TESTS
1) Amylase 3) Glucose
2) Calcium 4) Lipase
PARATHYROID EVALUATION TESTS
1) Albumin 5) Magnesium
2) Alkaline phosphatase 6) Phosphorus
3) Calcium 7) Total protein
4) Creatinine 8) Urinary calcium
PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST
1) CO2 content 4) PO2 ( partial pressure of Oxygen)
2) PH 5) Oxygen saturation
3)PCO2 (partial pressure of CO2)
RENAL FUNCTIN TESTS
1) Albumin 7) potassium
2) BUN 8) Glucose
3) Chloride 9) Sodium
4) CO2 content 10) Total protein
5) Creatinine 11) Urine creatinine, 24hrs
6) Creatinine clearance 12) Urinary protein.24hrs
THYROID FUNCTION TESTS
1) FTI ( free thyroxine index) or Free T4
2) T3 ( triiodothyronine)
3) T4 ( thyroxine)
4) TSH ( thyroid stimulating hormone)
TRANSITIONAL ( METASTATIC DISEASE) EVALUATION TESTS
1) Albumin 4) CEA ( carcinoembryonic antigen)
2) AST ( aspartate aminotransferase) 5) LD (lactate dehydrogenase)
3) Calcium 6) Total protein
TORCH (toxoplasmosis,rubella, cytomegalovirus,herpes) evaluation tests
1) Anti-cytomegalovirus 3) Anti-rubella
2) Anti-herpes 4) Anti-toxoplasmosis.
