Published: 17 Sep 2024

Section 1: Types of Lab Tests

* Diagnostic Tests: Confirm or rule out specific diseases or conditions.
* Screening Tests: Assess risk for developing certain diseases before symptoms appear.
* Monitoring Tests: Track disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
* General Health Tests: Evaluate overall health and identify potential health issues.

Section 2: Importance of Lab Tests

* Aid in disease diagnosis and treatment decisions.
* Monitor health changes over time.
* Identify HPV infections.
* Detect diseases even in the absence of symptoms (e.g., Pap test for cervical cancer).

Section 3: Reference Ranges

* Labs establish reference ranges based on certain factors (e.g., age, sex, health history).
* Reference populations are carefully selected to represent the group being tested.
* A statistically significant number of individuals are tested under similar conditions.
* Reference ranges typically include values that fall within the middle 95% of the reference population.