Tests For Hematology Problems
Hematology is a branch of medical sciences that deals with the study of blood, its diseases and blood forming organs of the human body. Diseases pertaining to blood are popularly termed as hematological diseases. These diseases affect the formation and component of blood, including hemoglobin, blood cells, blood proteins, and the process of coagulation, to name a few. Disruptions in the functioning or constituents of blood can potentially harm human beings, as blood plays a vital role in transporting nutrients to various parts of our body.
Like any other disease, hematological diseases too require proper diagnosing techniques. The pathologists who specialize in diagnosis of hematological problems are referred to as ‘hematopathologists’. Hematological diseases can be diagnosed with the help of certain common clinical blood tests. These tests include forming and studying slides of blood and bone marrow samples of patients. Hereby, let’s peep into some of the most common clinical tests for hematological problems.
Common Hematology Tests
There are a number of tests performed to diagnose hematological diseases. Some of the widely used hematology tests include:
* Complete Blood Count (CBC) – Also referred to as Full Blood Count (FBC), or Automated Blood Count (ABC), CBC involves testing several parameters of blood, such as hemoglobin level, WBC and RBC count, Platelet count, etc.
In this test, a phlebotomist takes the blood sample in a test tube containing some anti coagulant, such as EDTA so as to prevent it from clotting. The sample then goes to a laboratory for testing the desired parameters. Earlier the process of counting of cells in a blood sample was performed manually, which involves viewing the slide of a blood sample under microscope. However, the process of counting has become fully automated with the advent of automated analyzer for the purpose.
Results derived from the test depict the counts of RBCs, WBCs, and platelets in the provided sample. In addition, the tests also show the hemoglobin level of the given sample. Even subtle variation in these cell-counts can pose serious troubles to human body.
* Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) – Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) is a test performed to gauge the efficiency of both common and ‘intrinsic’ coagulation pathways. Aside from diagnosing malfunctioning in blood coagulation, PTT can also be used to check the treatment efficacy with herapin, a key anti-coagulant.
This test involves taking blood sample in vacu-tubes containing oxalate or citrate to prevent blood coagulation. In a bid to activate the intrinsic coagulation pathway, the blood specimen is generally mixed with phospholipids and calcium. Time in which the thrombus is formed is then measured.
A number of coagulation related diseases, such as Von Willebrand disease, deficiency of Vitamin K, hemophilia, can be diagnosed with the help of this test.
* Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) – Also known as Biernacki Reaction, ESR is actually the rate at which RBCs precipitate in one hour. This is a very common test in hematology that can help in measuring inflammation. In this test, blood sample with some anticoagulant is placed in a particular tube, known as Westergren tube, and the rate of precipitation of RBCs is then noted in mm/h.