Why blood tests are unreliable for detecting diseases

by time news

2023-09-26 22:18:03

When making a diagnosis, the doctor has three tools: experience, x-rays and Blood tests. However,Why are blood tests not completely reliable in detecting diseases?

Laboratory tests are essential, both to discover a possible health problem and to follow up on an existing one. But before delving into the topic, it is necessary to understand what they are…

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What are laboratory tests?

Also known as laboratory tests, these exams take a sample of either blood, urine or tissues. Through certain techniques, we seek to identify the normal or abnormal limits of substances or elements present in the body, as described by the United States Library of Medicine.

Why should you distrust blood tests?

To begin, the analyzes use a “normal” range of values defaults. However, each person is different, which implies variabilities that can affect the results, such as:

What you consume, including medications and diet.Sex, age and race.Properly following the instructions to perform the analysis.

One way to reduce the margin of error in these tests, something commonly done by doctors, is to compare the results with previous tests or with tests from other laboratories.

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Why are there no precise tests?

Although there are currently models that predict more accurately, this does not apply to all diseases. In many conditions, essential data are missing to obtain a accurate diagnosis. Additionally, some conditions are so intricate that even patients cannot describe their symptoms.

This does not mean that the Blood tests or the exams are useless. In fact, it allows us to understand why doctors usually order so many tests.

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