What is the reference range (value) of laboratory tests?
Test results vary from person to person. However, the general idea of the reference range is that the variability is within this range for 95% of people without disease. Therefore, even if it is out of the reference range, it cannot be said that it is abnormal immediately.
There is another thing called the clinical judgment value. It is designed for risk assessment, diagnosis and severity of specific diseases, assessment of treatment status, and treatment goal setting, and is often not consistent with laboratory reference ranges. Clinical judgment values are discussed and advocated by various academic societies consisting of experts. In addition, disease risk assessment requires consideration of not only test results, but also the individual's age, gender, lifestyle, family history, and other test results.
Sample tests (blood, urine, stool) for health checkups conducted at the Health Service Center are outsourced to an external laboratory. Although there are differences in the reagents and equipment used for measurement by each laboratory, related academic societies, laboratories, reagent manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, etc. have been discussing and trying to use the same reference ranges for the same test items as much as possible. Today, standard values do not change significantly depending on medical institutions and testing companies.
Although the reference ranges for various tests are defined in this way, health checkups not only notify the presence or absence of abnormalities, but also recommend preventive measures, even if they are not abnormal. Depending on the degree, "evaluation criteria" will be set and each person will be notified of the condition that makes it desirable to see a medical institution as soon as possible.
Evaluation criteria
The reference range of the laboratory and the medical checkup evaluation criteria may not match.
For each examination and measurement result, apart from the reference range, we have set the evaluation criteria to clarify the guideline for the response to be taken by the examinee after receiving the health checkup result. For each inspection group, either A (within the standard range [not the standard range of the laboratory, but the health checkup evaluation criteria]), B (minor abnormality), C (re-examination required / life improvement recommended), or D (required detailed inspection or treatment) is set. Medical examinations for members conducted at the Health Service Center will also be followed up according to these criteria. Although there is a standard range of the laboratory that conduct tests for each inspection item, it is not just a judgment of normality or abnormality, but it also plays an important role in health checkups, such as providing an opportunity to take preventive measures. For this reason, we follow the standards of the Japan Society of Ningen Dock and Preventive Medical Care for medical examinations. Depending on the item, even if it is considered "normal" according to the standards of the laboratory, there may be cases where follow-up measures are required as a judgment of the health checkup. This is because, for example, the purpose is not only to judge that diabetes is "abnormal" after actually developing diabetes, but also to call attention to the "preliminary group" and have them work on prevention at the pre-disease stage. is. After receiving a health checkup, please refer to the judgment and comments from public health nurses and doctors to help you maintain and improve your health.
