Values or laboratory values play an important role in medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Various values exist that can be used to assess the condition of almost all organs.
What are laboratory values?
Values can be determined from various body fluids. However, most laboratory values come from the blood. However, numerous substances can also be detected, classified and quantitatively evaluated in urine, saliva, feces and cerebrospinal fluid. However, values do not always originate from body fluids. Thus, bodily functions can also be reflected in values via external measurement procedures. One example of this is blood pressure values. The most common method of determining values, however, is the blood count. Here, a distinction can be made between a small blood count and a large blood count. The small blood count provides information about the cells in the blood. For this purpose, the red blood cells, the white blood cells and the platelets are counted by machine. The reader also determines how much hemoglobin is contained in the individual red blood cells. The large blood count is somewhat more comprehensive. Here, the white blood cells are additionally divided into the subtypes granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes.
Function and task
Values can be used to assess the functionality and condition of organs and body systems. There are values that are organ-specific and values that cover multiple organ systems. For example, the gamma-GT value is not necessarily organ-specific, although it is most commonly used to assess liver and bile. Gamma-GT is an enzyme found in the liver as well as the kidneys, pancreas, small intestine, and spleen. Gamma-GT is bound to the wall of cells in the bile ducts and liver. GOT and GPT are also used to diagnose liver disease. However, GOT is not solely liver-specific. The enzyme is also found in cardiac muscle cells and in skeletal muscle cells. When cells there die, the enzymes enter the blood. GPT, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, is found primarily in the liver. When the liver cells are destroyed in a disease, GPT enters the blood. An increase therefore indicates liver damage. Standard blood values are also determined from the blood. The hematocrit value plays an important role. The hematocrit is the proportion of blood cells in the total blood volume and reflects the ratio of liquid and solid blood components. The higher the hematocrit, the more solid components there are in the blood. As the hematocrit increases, the flow properties of the blood deteriorate. Unlike some other laboratory values, the standard values of the hematocrit are strongly linked to gender and also depend on the age of the patient. Since the erythrocytes (red blood cells) make up the largest proportion of cells in the blood, the hematocrit also provides information about the quantity of red blood cells and thus also about the oxygen supply to the body. But values can be determined not only in the blood. In a stool examination, for example, the intestinal flora or also the function of the pancreas can be checked. Pancreatic elastase is determined in the stool. It indicates the performance of the pancreas. Like stool, urine can also be used for diagnosis. Among other things, the composition of the urine allows conclusions to be drawn about the state of health of the kidneys. However, the urine can also be used to draw conclusions about other diseases. For example, sugar in the urine is a clear indication of the metabolic disease diabetes mellitus.
Diseases and complaints
Deviations in the values can indicate various diseases. For example, an elevated hematocrit value occurs with fluid loss, polyglobulia, or polycythaemia vera, a malignant blood disorder, among others. Decreased hematocrit values are indicative of anemia, overhydration, or blood loss. Elevated liver values indicate liver disease. The values can even be used to infer the degree of damage. For example, gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) is the most sensitive indicator of liver damage. In the case of minor damage, often only this value is elevated. Severe liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis or hepatitis are additionally associated with elevated GOT and GPT levels. Pancreatic elastase is only meaningful if the value is decreased. Decreased values indicate a functional disorder of the pancreas.On the other hand, elevated pancreas values in the blood (for example amylase) indicate that the pancreas is inflamed. Several values in the urine provide information about the state of health of the body. If there is an increase in proteins in the urine, this may indicate a disease of the kidneys. The same applies to elevated creatinine levels. Creatinine is elevated in acute or chronic kidney failure. Obstructed urinary tract is also associated with elevated creatinine levels. Lower creatinine levels, on the other hand, indicate diabetes mellitus at a very early stage. However, sugar in the urine does not appear until diabetes mellitus is very pronounced. Other values of the urine are, for example, the specific gravity, the urine density, the percentage of cellular components and bacteria. Bacteria in the urine always indicate an infection of the urinary tract. Blood in the urine can also be taken as an indication of a urinary tract infection. With all blood values, however, it should be noted that they often have little significance as the sole diagnostic method. Only in combination with other diagnostic procedures, such as ultrasound or CT, and a detailed collection of medical history, does a comprehensive and complete picture of the respective disease emerge.
