PATHOLOGY TEST – WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Pathology is the study of diseases, their causes, how they progress and their lifespan. A pathology test is the test run on buddy tissues or fluids.

Like urine, stool, and skin to determine the presence of a disease or to investigate in an already known disease further. Whenever a patient visits the lab to undergo a pathology test and is screened for any illness or disease, the results the pathology test produces will be used to diagnose the persons health condition and to provide a treatment for the illness and a management plan for the patient’s well-being.

In pathology, there are nine specialisations that give rise to the pathology tests. These specializations are:

• Chemical pathology – looks at the chemicals in blood and other bodily fluids
• Haematology – explores blood disorders
• Anatomical pathology – looks at disease in human tissue – for the most part this is body tissue surgically removed from living patients. Cytopathology (the study of disease at a cellular level) is a subspecialty of anatomical pathology
• Medical microbiology – investigates infection caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
• Immunopathology – looks at immune responses to disease
• Genetic pathology – looks at genetic diseases
• Forensic pathology – used to discover the cause of sudden or unexpected death, or in cases where the police suspect a death was not due to natural causes
• General pathology – concerned with all aspects of laboratory investigation of disease
• Clinical pathology – the diagnosis of disease using laboratory testing.

A pathology test is important because it enables health care providers and their patients in monitoring disease, treating diseases, assessing the risk of developing a disease, providing data to inhibit the spread of diseases, preventing disease, and aiding scientific and medical research, and processing pathology tests involves a wide range of medical professionals which include pathologists, medical scientists, phlebotomist, laboratory managers, and technicians.

  TYPES OF PATHOLOGY TESTS

There are some common blood and pathology tests that one may need to run when a specialist or doctor is investigating a possible health risk or illness. The test results are usually used alongside other information such as the age, lifestyle and gender of the individual running the test. The most common pathology tests are:

1. Full blood count

This is a common test that’s used to diagnose a wide range of illnesses, infections and diseases. This test gives the doctor information about the numbers and development of cells in the blood (red cells, white cells, and platelets). They are able to detect aabnormalities like an infection, anemia or cancers like leukemia.

2. Liver function tests

A liver function test is a pathological test carried out when a doctor needs a close look at one’s liver. The test measures enzymes, proteins, and substances produced or excreted by the liver. If your tests show liver damage, it may mean you have one of the many diseases or infections that affect the liver. These tests can be essential to early diagnosis and treatment.

3. Iron studies

Checking one’s iron levels will tell a doctor whether you have too little or too much iron, which is essential to normal red blood cell function. If your levels are low, you may have anaemia (symptoms may include fatigue and lack of energy) which may point to underlying disease. An iron overload or (haemochromatosis) may increase your risk of serious conditions, such as liver disease, heart failure, arthritis or diabetes.

4. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) quantification

The TSH is responsible for telling the thyroid to make hormones that are essential to many bodily functions, including breathing, heart rate, body weight, temperature and energy levels, so it’s important to check it’s working properly. The TSH test looks for or monitors thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone), hyperthyroidism(excess thyroid hormone), some cancers, and autoimmune conditions.

5. Urinalysis

A urinalysis is a set of tests on a sample of urine that look for a range of diseases, including liver or kidney disease, diabetes, and other outcomes such as pregnancy. Urinary tract infections may also be diagnosed with this test or what’s known as a rapid urine test.

6. INR (International Normalised Ratio)

An INR is an example of one type of test that looks at a medication’s effectiveness. The INR investigates how well a patient’s blood clots. It’s an especially important regular test for people on the anti-clotting medication warfarin, which is used to prevent stroke, or clotting after surgery, for example.

PATHOLOGY TEST PROCEDURES

The process in carrying out a pathology test is usually a relatively simple, standard procedure following these steps.

For blood tests, the individual

• You visit the lab or location of appointment for your test.
• You sit or lie down for the blood collection.
• The person collecting your blood (technically called a phlebotomist, but it may be a nurse or other healthcare professional) will put a tourniquet around your arm (above the elbow) and tighten it to increase blood volume in your veins. You may be asked to clench and unclench your first a few times to help get sufficient blood into your veins.
• The phlebotomist will wipe clean the site of the injection to reduce risk of infection, then insert a needle into your vein and draw the blood.
• The blood will flow into a syringe or vial.
• You may experience a little discomfort during the procedure. Tell the phlebotomist if you have any concerns or feel unwell.
• The phlebotomist will ask you to press a cotton wool ball against the injection site for a few moments, and will then place some adhesive dressing over the site. You may have minor bruising at the site afterwards.

For a urine sample test

• You may be asked to collect a sample of your urine at your doctor’s office or in your own home.
• You will be given a small collection bottle in which to collect the urine.
• Often, your doctor will ask for ‘midstream’ urine, which isn’t the urine that you pass first or last, but the urine about midway through your urination.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after collecting your sample.
• If you’re at your doctor’s office, your doctor may do a ‘rapid urine test’ in which they put a test strip into the urine sample to give quick results of pregnancy or a reason for acute symptoms like pain.
• If you’re asked to collect urine samples at home, you may have to package up your collection bottles and deliver them to a test laboratory.

For the stool sample test

• Stool samples are usually collected in your own home.
• You may be given a test kit with gloves and a small container in which to collect your faeces.
• It’s usually better to urinate before taking the sample so urine doesn’t go in with the faeces. Also be careful not to collect toilet water in with the sample.
• Collect the faeces into a clean container (or place some newspaper or plastic over the toilet bowl to collect it), and then use the small spoon or scoop that comes with your collection kit to place a sample of the faeces into the collection container. Place as much faeces into the container as instructed, usually around a third full.
• Don’t let the stool sample touch the inside of the toilet bowl.
• Screw on the lid to the collection container.
• If you’re instructed to, write your name, date of birth, and the collection date on to the container.
• Follow instructions for handing in the sample to your doctor or the test lab.
• Discard items you’ve used to collect the sample, and wash your hands thoroughly.

WHERE TO GO TO FOR PATHOLOGY TESTS

In many cases, your doctor or healthcare provider will advice a laboratory facility for your test. The pathology test will usually be conducted at an approved or accredited hospital, medical centre, collection centre or pathology laboratory. You can get help from your doctor, or any hospital or medical centre. You may be able to access your pathology results online, but only after your doctor has discussed them with you. How you receive your test results will depend on the type of test you are having, your pathology provider and the protocols of the healthcare professional referring you for the test.