70% of clinical decisions are based on results from laboratory tests. This information should make us reflect whenever we postpone the analyses that have been recommended to us by our family doctor or a specialist or that we know would be useful to perform on a regular basis.

Claudia Filippi, head of the Laboratory Analysis at Humanitas Gavazzeni Bergamo, emphasizes: “The frantic rhythm of life, family commitments and work often leads us to forget that a simple laboratory examination can help us understand if there is something wrong, as well as being an excellent monitoring tool of the state of our health”.

The possibility of early intervention

It is important to regularly undergo generic examinations – especially those of blood, urine and feces – even when you feel fit and there are no obvious symptoms of a disease. “The laboratory examination is a fundamental instrument of prevention, – continues Dr. Filippi – which allows us to immediately detect an irregularity present in our organism. It can be especially helpful in confirming when you feel good in general. You are usually subjected to specialist examinations when you feel certain symptoms, i. e. when the disease is already more or less developed. On the other hand, regular laboratory exams can anticipate the occurrence of pathologies and allow early intervention with great advantages in terms of treatment”.

Knowing how to read the results well

Once the results of the laboratory tests have been obtained, it is important to interpret them well. The data highlighted by the analyses should not be taken into account only from a numerical point of view, because in all cases a result that goes beyond acceptable limits reveals the presence of a disease. For this reason the report must always be submitted to the family doctor who, knowing the state of health of his patient, is able to reassure him in case the results do not reveal the existence of problems. On the other hand, the same doctor may instead direct the same patient to further specialized analyses when he thinks it would be useful to obtain more detailed exams of some aspects”.