RUPAS CLINICAL LABORATORY in 83/1, Millers Road, Kilpauk is eighteen years old and is well staffed with experienced personal and is full time monitored by biochemist with post graduate qualification. Facilities to do ECG are available in the laboratory and are reported by a cardiologist.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

In this present day of hectic life style and tension filled life we often forget about our health, which demands most consideration in our life.

Let us sit and think for a while about our dependant parents, our lovely family and kids. Then we will realise how important is to maintain good health. We spend so much for our food, clothes, holidays and other entertainments but we hesitate to spend even once a year to look after our health.

It is needless to state that many diseases are diagnosed by laboratory tests in their early stages before symptoms or signs occur. Appropriate measures can then be taken either to prevent the development of disease or postpone the onset of manifestations of disease. To quote common conditions as an example Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD).

Diabetes and Hypertension affect almost all organs of the body and end in their failure. The laboratory test pertaining to different organs of the body give an indication of the extent of involvement.

Take for example Ischeamic Heart Disease, Routine Tests like Complete Blood Count, Serum Cholesterol Serum Triglyceride, HDL, LDL, VLDL, Total Cholesterol/ HDL Ratio levels warn us of the possible IHD later in life. One can take recourse to changes of life style, food habits and drugs to control them. Even if there are no symptoms by doing Electro Cardiogram on can know the extent of cardiac involvement.

Another example is Hypertension. In addition to tests described above depending on the other Organs involved laboratory test will give us an insight to the damage of other organs. I f the kidney is involved Renal profile will help in early diagnosis.

Another example is diabetes Mellitus. It can exist for some with our symptoms or with symptoms. Quite often in any Doctors experience Diabetes is a chance discovery on routine examination of urine or blood for some other problem. Urine Sugar, Blood Sugar, Glucose Tolerance Test, Glycosylated Hb are some of the test that are useful in this condition. One can be giving endless instances of the value of laboratory test is diagnosing early before symptoms develop or later when manifestation of diseases occur.

There are also laboratory profiles for conditions like Jaundice, G.I. disease, Arthritis, Liver Disease, Kidney Disease, Bone Disease, Hormonal Checkups, Immuno Serological test etc. The lists are so large that cannot be written in this newsletter. Unfortunately in our country there is a wrong impression on some of us that tests are being unnecessarily done. This is not always true. Usefulness of the investigations cannot be refuted.