Accuprobe Awareness

H1N1 influenza (commonly known as S wine Flu ) is a type of Influenza A infection that can cause anything from a mild respiratory illness to serious complications. The H1N1 virus that caused the 2009 pandemic has since become part of the viruses responsible for seasonal influenza. With influenza circulating in the community, awareness is important, not only to protect ourselves but also to prevent transmission to children, elderly people, pregnant women and those with underlying illnesses. What are the symptoms? H1N1 can begin suddenly. Common symptoms include fever, dry cough, sore throat, runny or blocked nose, headache, body aches, fatigue and chills . Some people may develop vomiting or diarrhoea, particularly children. Symptoms generally begin about 1-4 days after infection and most otherwise healthy people recover within about a week, although cough and tiredness may persist longer. Role of Laboratory Investigations: Importantly, symptoms alone cannot always distinguish influen...

Have you ever undergone the same blood test at two different laboratories and received slightly different results? It can be confusing and sometimes worrying. The immediate thought is often, “Which report is correct?” The answer is that a difference does not necessarily mean that one laboratory is wrong. Laboratory results are measurements, and like all measurements, they have some degree of analytical variation and biological variation . Pre-analytical variation  is one of the most important and frequently overlooked causes of variation. The following factors can influence laboratory results: Fasting or non-fasting status Time of sample collection Exercise before collection Posture Stress Dehydration Prolonged tourniquet application Difficulty during blood collection Hemolysis Lipemia Icterus Delay in transportation Improper temperature during transportation Incorrect tube Inadequate mixing Delayed separation of serum/plasma   There ca...