Pathology tests are an integral part of any medical investigation with regards to a disorder or a disease developed in the patient’s body. Pathology tests are often suggested as part of the investigation when a doctor suspects a certain disorder with a patient.

What are the 4 Types of Pathology Tests?

It is usually accompanied by scans and other investigative measures suggested by the physician or specialist. Pathology lab is a laboratory where tests relating to pathology are taken. This consists of blood, urine, stool and other body tissue analysis to identify the cause and effect of a specific disorder in the body such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, cancer etc.

What is Pathology Testing?

Pathology is the science of medicine that deals with the study of pathogens – or the causal disease factor for its origin and progression in the patient’s body. It is a detailed study of the disorder symptoms, the causal factors of the disorder, their effect on the various body parts and the risk factors involved in this process. The importance of getting a pathology test is mentioned below:

Early Diagnosis

A pathology test can help the doctor or a specialist to help diagnose a disease much earlier than symptoms show. This helps the patient in being aware and cautious and the doctor in suggesting a course of treatment based on the results

Screening Risks

Pathology tests can also be suggested as part of analysing the risk factor as to the patients chances of having a certain disorder. This helps the patient and the doctor in being prepared for the likely risk factors in the body when it comes to disorders such as Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Cardiac risks etc

Prognosis

Not only does a pathology test diagnose the illness, but it also helps the doctor to generate a possible prognosis of the disease – which means that the stage of infection or level of spread in the body.

Treatment Methods

The treatment course of a disease can be decided by the doctor on the basis of the pathology test results. Pathology tests are also important when it comes to certain medical procedures such as surgeries and transfusions or transplants.

Monitoring the Disease

Pathology tests can also help in maintaining the log on the infection or the disorder and analyse its effect on the body in a continual fashion.

Types of Pathology Tests

There are many kinds of pathology tests that are undertaken in a pathology lab. Some of the most common types of tests are mentioned below:

Blood Tests

One of the most common tests is the blood test that determines most of the vital statistics in the body. Blood tests are mandatory and are often combined with the other tests to give out a full fledged information on the patient’s condition. Some of the examples are Blood count tests, Iron Tests, Thyroid tests etc

Urine Tests

Urine gives out most of the information about the body such as the protein level, the urea level, the infection in the organs and a basic outlook into the patient’s health. Some of the common tests are Liver Function Tests, Urinalysis, Kidney function tests etc

Stool Tests

Stool tests are rare and often taken only when there is some digestive related disorder or the disorder has something to do with the liver, intestines, pancreas or the stomach.

Body Tissue Tests

Body tissue tests are taken directly from the patient in the form of a swab or a using a syringe to take out a tissue from a specific organ.