In the last several decades, numerous types of medical testing have helped doctors to make informed decisions about disease diagnosis and treatment. Today’s medical tests can diagnose everything from diabetes and hormonal deficiencies to cancer and genetic disorders. These five tests are the most common ones used by doctors in clinics and hospitals.
Biopsies
Some tests look directly at body tissue samples, called biopsies. During a biopsy, the doctor removes a small portion of tissue; the tissue may come from the skin, the mucous membranes or internal organs. Most often, a biopsy tests for cancer. This involves testing a small section of skin or of an abnormal growth.
Body Fluid Samples
The second test is a urinalysis, which tests the urine. Doctors can use this test for many reasons, including checking for drugs, pregnancy, infection, kidney disease and more. Another test that checks body fluids is blood work using hematology stains. Blood can be checked for the presence of drugs or infection. It also checks hormone, mineral, blood cell, glucose and oxygen levels and can determine the presence or extent of some diseases, such as kidney failure or heart attacks.
Radiography
Other tests help doctors look inside the body. Radiography uses electromagnetic waves to look at the bones, muscles and organs in the body. The most common type of radiation, the x-ray, is used to determine if bones are broken, teeth are decayed or tumors or other foreign objects are in the body. Other types of radiation include the mammogram, used to check breast tissue, and magnetic resonance imaging and computerized tomography, used to look at organs within the body, such as the brain, heart, kidneys and liver.
Stress Tests
Finally, a stress test uses a combination of exercise and monitoring to determine the health of the heart. This is a noninvasive test, meaning that no needles or probes will be inserted into the body. Instead, the patient’s blood pressure heart rate and rhythm will be monitored before during and after strenuous activity on a treadmill. This test helps doctors determine the strength of the heart and the extent of heart disease.
Many of these tests are truly modern marvels, some of which were not used until the 1900s. They help doctors understand what is happening to the cells and organs of the body, how effective treatments are and if a disease is progressing or has disappeared. This sampling of the five most common types of medical tests that may ordered will help patients and their family members be prepared for visits to their doctors.
*Our content is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis of individual problems or circumstances, nor should it be implied that we are a substitute for professional medical advice. Users / readers are always advised to consult their Healthcare Professional prior to starting any new remedy, therapy or treatment. Your Wellness Group accepts no liability in the event you, a user of n-gage and a reader of this article, suffers a loss as a result of reliance upon or inappropriate application of the information.
Comments are closed.