What tests are done in immunology?
There are immunological tests for many different medical conditions and
purposes – for instance, to test for, to screen for bowel cancer or to find out
if a woman is pregnant. They can be used to carry out routine tests in
hospitals and laboratories, to do quick tests yourself at home, as well as in
family doctors’ and specialists’ practices
As mentioned above,
immunological tests contain specific antibodies that bind to the substance or
germ that is being looked for. In some tests this reaction is visible to the
naked eye. For example, in tests to determine your blood group, the bloodcoagulates (clumps together) on the test card.
In laboratory tests, sensitive devices measure the amount of
bound antibodies based on the extent of a light or color reaction.
In rapid tests, the antibodies are usually found on paper
strips (test strips), but sometimes glass is used too. Rapid tests are easy to
use and provide instant results. But they are not as sensitive as laboratory
tests and can't determine exactly how much of the substance or germ is present.
. Immunological
tests are widely used. Their areas of application include:
- Bowel cancer screening: This test looks for the blood pigment hemoglobin, a sign of blood in stool. Blood in stool can be caused by various things, such as hemorrhoids, polyps or even bowel cancer.
- Allergy tests: to detect antibodies against -triggering substances like grass pollen or certain foods.
- Detecting germs causing an infection: If it is thought someone has bacterial tonsillitis or scarlet fever, the test looks for Streptococcus . Immunological tests can also be used to detect viruses.
- Diagnosing heart attacks and thrombosis: Shortly after a heart attack or if someone has thrombosis , higher levels of a certain protein are found in the blood.
- Urine test: If sugar, blood, proteins or inflammatory cells are found in urine using this rapid test, it could be a sign of diabetes, a urinary tract infection or kidney damage.
- Pregnancy test: Women can use this rapid test to find out whether their urine contains the "pregnancy hormone" beta-hCG.
- Rapid tests for drugs and medication: Immunological tests can also be used to look for recreational drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. Medical drugs that affect the central nervous system can also be detected in this way. These include sleeping pills amphetamines and morphine.
- Determining your blood group: When blood transfusions are done, the person donating the blood and the person receiving the blood have to have the same blood group. Immunological tests can be used to determine the blood groups before a blood transfusion.
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