Accuprobe Awareness

Blood tests are a fundamental part of modern medical practice, offering invaluable insights into a person's health. They can help diagnose conditions, monitor diseases, and guide treatment plans. However, with the increasing availability of direct-to-consumer lab services and online resources, more individuals are choosing to interpret their blood test results without professional guidance. While this might seem empowering, self-interpretation of blood investigations carries significant risks and disadvantages. Misinterpretation of Results One of the primary risks of self-interpreting blood test results is misinterpretation. Blood tests can be complex, with various factors influencing their outcomes. Normal ranges can vary based on age, sex, and even specific laboratory standards. A result slightly outside the normal range may not indicate a serious problem, while a result within the normal range might still be concerning depending on the patient's symptoms and history. Interp

  Blood tests are essential tools in diagnosing various medical conditions. However, sometimes these tests can produce misleading results, such as in the case of pseudothrombocytopenia. Before we delve into pseudothrombocytopenia, let's first grasp the significance of platelets. Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are small cell fragments in the blood produced in the bone marrow. Their primary function is to play a crucial role in haemostasis, preventing excessive bleeding when blood vessels are injured. Pseudothrombocytopenia (Falsely low platelet count) is essentially a laboratory artifact where blood tests show low platelet counts, but the real platelet count is actually normal. It occurs when platelets clump together in the blood sample collected for analysis, leading to inaccurate platelet counts by automated cell counters. Although pseudothrombocytopenia is a benign and relatively rare condition, its accurate identification is essential to prevent unnecessary clinical inte

  Iron deficiency without anemia refers to a condition where there is a decrease in the body's iron stores, but the individual's hemoglobin levels are still within the normal range, and they do not meet the diagnostic criteria for anemia. Anemia is a condition characterized by a reduced number of red blood cells or a decrease in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood, which can result in fatigue, weakness, and other symptoms. Iron is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in carrying oxygen in the blood and supporting various physiological processes in the body. Iron deficiency can occur due to inadequate dietary intake of iron, poor iron absorption by the body, increased iron demands (such as during pregnancy or growth spurts), or chronic blood loss (such as from menstruation or gastrointestinal bleeding). Iron deficiency without anemia can occur in the early stages of iron depletion when the body's iron stores are becoming depleted, but the hemoglobin levels have

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where the lining of the small intestine is damaged by exposure to gluten (a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats) in genetically predisposed children and adults. The reaction to gluten causes inflammation and atrophy of intestinal lining, which can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and related health issues. The diagnosis of Celiac disease is classically based on a combination of findings from a patient’s clinical history, serologic testing and duodenal biopsies. SEROLOGY TEST: Serologic tests are for screening purposes and do not confirm the diagnosis of coeliac disease. Serologic tests for celiac disease include anti-transglutaminase IgA & IgG antibody, anti-endomysium IgA antibody, and Deamidated Gliadin Peptide IgA & IgG antibodies.  The serologic tests that check for IgA antibodies are more sensitive for celiac disease than the tests for IgG antibodies. However, in people who have IgA deficiency, IgG tests ma

Pyuria is the pathological finding of the presence of leucocytes or white blood cells, commonly referred to as pus cells, in the urine. It may be indicative of various health conditions, but it is most commonly associated with a urinary tract infection (UTI).   Sterile pyuria can be defined as the presence of leucocytes in the urine but absence of infection with standard culture techniques.  Sterile pyuria is misleading term, as commonest cause for the finding is undoubtedly infection of some sort.  It is a relatively common problem, with a wide range of causes.  It could be infectious or non-infectious, depending on conditions.  Sterile pyuria may be due to a partially treated urinary tract infection (even one dose of antibiotic before urine collection), a recently treated UTI (pyuria often remains for one-two weeks after clearing infection), a UTI with fastidious or slow growing atypical organisms that fail to grow during standard laboratory culture. Other infectious causes of ster

Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergy are the three major disorders that are known to trigger unpleasant symptoms following intake of foods made using wheat . Although the three conditions share similar symptoms, their pathogenic mechanism, diagnosis and treatment are quite different. Coeliac disease is permanent, whereas allergies and intolerances can come and go during a person’s life.  Celiac disease is a genetic, autoimmune disorder that occurs in reaction to the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The reaction to gluten causes inflammation and atrophy of intestinal lining, which can lead to malabsorption of nutrients and related health issues. The diagnosis of Celiac disease is classically based on a combination of findings from a patient’s clinical history, serologic testing (anti-transglutaminase IgA antibody, anti-endomysium antibody, Deamidated Gliadin Peptide) and duodenal biopsies. Wheat allergy is an immune reaction (IgE mediate

Mucormycosis refers to severe infectious diseases that are caused by filamentous fungi of the Mucorales order that primarily affect immunocompromised patients and patients with diabetes mellitus. Recently, an increasing incidence has been reported among COVID-19 patients in India. The most common genera in invasive mucormycosis are Rhizopus, Rhizomucor, Lichtheimia and Mucor, accounting for 90% of all cases. Clinically and radiographically, mucormycosis is often indistinguishable from other invasive fungal infections such as aspergillosis and remains difficult to diagnose. A definitive diagnosis of mucormycosis typically requires histopathological evidence or positive fungal culture from a specimen from the site of infection, which may be difficult to obtain in some patients. A molecular diagnostic approach, detecting circulating DNA of Mucorales (by PCR) in serum of patients, may help to diagnose invasive mucormycosis more quickly and to introduce directed therapy earlier and eventual