HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR LAB TESTS Janice Price

HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR LAB TESTS Janice Price, M. Ed, RN Swedish Medical Center HIV Research Program

TESTS • • • CBC: Complete Blood Count Serum Chemistries Liver Function/ Amylase Lipids: Blood Fats Immune System: CD 4 & Viral Load

CBC: Complete Blood Count • Red Blood Cells: RBC • White Blood Cells: WBC • Platelets: Plts • Serum/Plasma

Blood Cell Types

Bone Marrow • All Blood Cells made in bone marrow. • Bone Marrow is the spongy centers of bones sometimes seen in cuts of meat

Stem Cells • Stem cells are young cells • All blood cells start as stem cells • They get “drafted” as RBCs, WBCs or platelets depending on the body’s needs

Red Blood Cells • Called erythrocytes • “cytes” = cells • Shaped like bagel with hole covered over • Filled with hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs to every cell in the body. Utah State University

White Blood Cells • WBCs are disease fighters • Some make antibodies and some fight invaders directly • Divided into categories depending on function and what they look like.

Types of White Cells • Lymphocytes: B and T cells. Agranulocytes • Granulocytes: polymorphonucleocoytes mostly neutrophils (55 -80%), also basophils and eosonophils • Monocytes: mature into macrophages (big eaters)

A macrophage attacking a bacteria with a cellular extension called a pseudopod

Abbreviations • • • RBC = Red Blood Cell WBC = White Blood Cell HCT = Hematocrit Hbg = Hemoglobin ANC = Absolute Neutrophil Count

CBC

TESTS OF IMMUNE FUNCTION A human cell infected with a rhinovirus ruptures, relasing millions of new viruses

A human T-helper cell is under attack by HIV virus

Viral Load Tests • PCR: Most common. Usually expressed has HIV-1 PCR in copies per milliliter. Roche Amplicor • b. DNA: values are different. Usually ½ of PCR value • NASBA: nucleic acid sequence based amplification. Values are also different

UNDETECTABLE VIRAL LOAD DOES NOT MEAN NO VIRUS PRESENT Remember: there are other places for virus to hide

Viral Load Expressed as Log 10 x = viral load

Genotype/Phenotype

Blood Types