Consulting your analysis results before even speaking with your doctor has become a reflex for many patients. But Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and Medical Director of True Medical, calls for caution: an unusual figure does not necessarily mean an illness and a normal result is not always enough to rule out a problem.
Analysis results, can we look at them before our doctor?
This allows you to note your questions, identify the values that raise questions and compare the results with old analyses. The patient can also save time during the consultation since he already has a global vision of his assessment. However, Dr Gérald Kierzek recalls that this reading is “handle with great caution“.
A value outside the reference range does not necessarily indicate disease. Its interpretation depends on many elements, including age, sex, history, treatments, symptoms and even the time of sampling.
The risk then is to give an isolated number a meaning that it does not have. A search on the Internet can reinforce this phenomenon and cause a “unnecessary anxiety“, with the key being a “cyber diagnostics“anxious.
The opposite also exists. A result “in the standards” does not always rule out a problem, especially when the patient presents symptoms.
The emergency doctor’s advice is therefore clear: “You can look at your results, but do not draw conclusions alone or change any treatment without medical advice.“.
The assessment should rather serve as a working document to bring to the doctor, so that he can interpret it in the overall context of the patient.
My doctor doesn’t call me after my tests, is this normal?
It all depends on the organization of the office
The absence of a call after a blood test does not necessarily mean that a problem was discovered or that the results were missed. According to Dr. Gérald Kierzek, this “depends on practice practices and severity of results“.
In many practices, only abnormal or urgent results are the subject of a call or message. Normal results can simply be recorded in the medical record or accessed from the patient portal.
Some doctors also ask the patient to contact the office again if they do not hear from them within a specified period of time. The emergency doctor mentions, for example, “1 week for a routine blood test, 2 weeks for a specialized examination“.
The doctor should follow up on important results
On an ethical level, monitoring remains necessary.
“The doctor has an obligation to follow up: he must ensure that important results are seen and commented on.“, explains Dr. Kierzek.
This information can take several forms: a message, a scheduled consultation or a call, depending on the organization of the office.
To avoid any uncertainty, the patient can ask when prescribing: “How will I be informed of the results?” And “How soon should I contact you again if I don’t hear back?“.
If the results are abnormal and no return arrives within the announced time frame, our expert recommends contacting the firm again. For a routine check-up, he advises checking with the doctor after more than a week without news.
These analysis results are particularly misleading
Tumor markers do not automatically mean cancer
Some results are more difficult to interpret alone than others. This is particularly the case for tumor markers such as CEA, CA 15-3, CA 125 or PSA.
The specialist recalls that they can be elevated in benign situations, particularly in the presence of inflammation, smoking or non-cancerous diseases. They therefore do not by themselves mean “cancer”.
Abnormal CBC does not automatically indicate serious illness
Blood counts can also trigger disproportionate worry. Anemia or a slightly too low or too high white blood cell or platelet count can have many causes.
The doctor cites in particular “an iron deficiency, a recent infection, stress or even simple normal variations.”
His warning is particularly direct: “An abnormal blood count result does not automatically mean cancer! And almost never.”
Liver, kidneys and thyroid must be placed in context
A slightly disturbed liver or kidney test can also have several explanations. Gérald Kierzek evokes “medications, alcohol, intense exercise, dehydration or recent infection.”
TSH should also be interpreted with caution. A borderline or moderately abnormal value must be related to symptoms, other hormones and treatments.
Some results require rapid medical advice
Very low or very high values should attract more attention. Dr. Kierzek cites in particular “hemoglobin less than 7 g/dL, GFR less than 30, TSH greater than 10 mIU/L or even very high cardiac markers.
These situations may require rapid consultation or even emergency treatment. But their exact meaning always depends on the clinical condition of the patient.
For the emergency doctor, immediately looking for an explanation on the Internet can then increase “the risk of misinterpretation and great unnecessary anxiety.”
How to avoid panicking when faced with an unusual result?
Dr. Gérald Kierzek recalls that “reference values are statistical ranges, not absolute limits of ‘health’.“
A slightly unusual value in an asymptomatic person may return to normal during a check-up. Before becoming alarmed, several simple checks are necessary: the identity, date and type of sample, then the units and the laboratory reference range.
The importance remains to look at the whole picture. Focusing on a single number can give a misleading view of the situation. The doctor advises looking at all the results and comparing the trends with previous analyses.
The biologist’s comments, often present at the bottom of the report, can also provide an initial interpretation.
The emergency doctor distinguishes between three situations:
- Minor, stable variations, without symptoms → often not serious;
- New anomalies or values that change compared to previous assessments → to discuss with the doctor;
- Marked abnormalities or warning signals (very low/very high, associated symptoms) → require rapid medical advice.
Can we use AI to understand our analyses?
AI can spot certain anomalies, highlight trends, compare values or provide general information on different parameters.
But she does not know the patient’s complete clinical history. In particular, she is unaware of her symptoms, her treatments, her history and the precise context of the sample. She can also “making mistakes, giving oversimplified or anxiety-inducing explanations, or even missing crucial subtleties“.
The main risk is then to consider a response generated as a diagnosis. This can result in “unnecessary anxiety, delay in treatment or therapeutic error“. AI can therefore serve as a complementary information tool, but the interpretation of a biological result must remain validated by a healthcare professional.
Be careful with personal data entered into an AI
Dr. Gérald Kierzek adds a final warning regarding medical information transmitted to these tools: “Data confidentiality is never guaranteed!“.
He recommends never directly entering data that identifies the patient, such as last name, first name, exact date of birth, Social Security number, address or hospital file number.
What symptoms should prompt you to consult quickly?
The doctor advises against two reflexes:
- “Change a treatment or stop a medication alone” ;
- “Carry out a self-diagnosis via the Internet before speaking to a professional.“
Prompt treatment is required in the presence of very abnormal results, such as very low hemoglobin, very high creatinine or very high cardiac enzymes.
Caution must be even greater when these abnormalities are accompanied by serious symptoms: chest pain, severe shortness of breath, mental confusion, malaise, significant bleeding or severe weakness.
In these situations, Dr. Gérald Kierzek recommends contacting the doctor without delay or the emergency room depending on the symptoms.