If a patient is interested in disease prevention, they may want to have a pathology test. What does this involve, and why is it important? This article aims to answer those questions. If you are interested to take a pathology test, you can click the link after you finish reading the article.

What is pathology?

Pathology is the branch of medicine that specializes in determining the causes and nature of diseases by analyzing the tissues and fluids of an individual. Doctors rely on the results of these pathology tests to diagnose and treat diseases correctly. It is said that 70% of medical decisions are based on pathology tests.

Do I need to take a pathology test?

In most cases, people have their first pathology test just after they are born. This screening will help check for any diseases and encourage early detection of serious genetic conditions that can hinder the growth and development of the baby. These newborn screenings are performed before the baby is discharged from the hospital.

Later in life, when pathology tests are needed, people usually have a blood test. There are several reasons why people may need to have a pathology test later in life.

Reasons to have a pathology test

Doctors and other medical professionals have various reasons why they will ask a patient to undergo a pathology test. Here is a list of the possible reasons why a doctor may recommend a pathology test.

In the treatment of disease

If a patient is currently suffering from a specific type of illness, the patient’s doctor may recommend a pathology test to help determine the current path and progression of the disease. This will help the doctor greatly, in terms of finding the right cure and treatment methods to use on the patient.

To monitor disease progression

A pathology test may also help the doctor when it comes to looking into how much the disease has progressed. This type of test will be able to give the doctor information on if the condition has worsened or if the patient is benefiting from treatment.

To prevent future diseases

Just like in the newborn screening, pathology tests in older individuals aid the doctors in the prevention of diseases. A pathology test looks into the genetic makeup of the patient and present data that can be analyzed to evaluate the risk of the patient for a certain kind of disease.

To aid research

The patient may also be participating in a research group that is trying to find possible new cures and information about diseases. Pathology tests can aid the doctors and researchers that are working on the project to be able to gain more insight into the conditions and pathogens that they are studying.

Has your doctor recommended a pathology test?

If you need to have a pathology test done, and have doubts about it, ask your doctor about it. They can be able to tell you the exact reason why you need to have the test done. They will also be able to tell you why you will benefit from a pathology test and the possible courses of action to be taken after the results come out.