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Do Test Results Vary From One Laboratory To Other?

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Posted on Tue, 7 Apr 2015
Question: had blood work done at a different and after a decrease in my shot/ast to 35 it increased to 66 and my alt(sgpt) increased from46 to 51. Should I go back to the old
lab and to test results vary from lab to lab
doctor
Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (44 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes, I will advise you go back to old lab for consistency and comparability

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about these inconsistent laboratory values and all the inconveniences that this has caused you. When we are monitoring the trend of a laboratory result, it is very important to stick to the same lab. This is because results vary from laboratory to laboratory and would make comparisons difficult. We know the values are higher the normal and what matters is whether they are on a downward trend or not. For that, the laboratory should not be changed.

In all, lab values vary from lab to lab. To ensure that we can compare these results to each other, it would be capital to maintain the lab that does the analysis.

I hope this addresses your query fully. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Ivo Ditah

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3984 Questions

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Do Test Results Vary From One Laboratory To Other?

Brief Answer: Yes, I will advise you go back to old lab for consistency and comparability Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about these inconsistent laboratory values and all the inconveniences that this has caused you. When we are monitoring the trend of a laboratory result, it is very important to stick to the same lab. This is because results vary from laboratory to laboratory and would make comparisons difficult. We know the values are higher the normal and what matters is whether they are on a downward trend or not. For that, the laboratory should not be changed. In all, lab values vary from lab to lab. To ensure that we can compare these results to each other, it would be capital to maintain the lab that does the analysis. I hope this addresses your query fully. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.