Interpretation of Biochemical Tests

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

  • Diagnosis

  • Management

  • Prognosis

  • Screening

    • Population screening

    • Selective screening

    • Individual screening

    • Opportunistic screening

  • Other Uses of Laboratory Tests

    • Biochemical profiling

    • Baseline

• Collection of Specimens

  • Identification of Patient Specimens

• Interpretation of Laboratory Results

  • Reference Ranges

    • Population-based reference ranges

    • Risk-based reference range

  • Detection of a Significant Change

• Factors Affecting Test Results

  • Biological Factors (Table 1.2)

    • Age

    • Sex

    • Body composition

    • Ethnicity/race

    • Time of day

    • Stress

    • Posture

    • Food intake

    • Drugs

    • Exercise

    • Intrinsic biological variation

  • Analytical Factors

• The Diagnostic Value of an Investigation

  • Cut-off Value

  • Likelihood Ratios

• General Principles

  • Steady State vs. Transient State

  • Concentration vs. Amount

  • Concentration vs. Activity

  • Urinary Excretion

• Further Reading

• Summary/Key Points