Pathology Lab in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow

Start with your doctor's prescription. If it names two or three tests, book those tests. A package is worth choosing only when it covers most of what you need. It is a fixed list of tests built around one health question, and these are the common matches:

• Diabetes or a high sugar report: the diabetic package.
• High blood pressure: the hypertension package, which checks the heart and kidneys.
• Tiredness, paleness or a low haemoglobin: the anaemia package.
• Abnormal liver tests, or a fatty liver on a scan: the liver panel package or the fatty liver package.
• Kidney or urine problems: the kidney panel package.
• Thyroid symptoms, or a swelling in the neck: the thyroid package.
• An abnormal calcium or PTH result, or concern about osteoporosis: the parathyroid package or the bone profile package.
• The years after menopause: the post-menopausal package.

If you have no symptoms and no prescription but want a general check, speak to your own doctor first. They know your age, family history and medicines, and can say which tests are worth doing.

If your prescription names a test that is not described here, send us the prescription and the team will confirm whether we do it.

Most tests use blood drawn from a vein in your arm. The needle goes in for a moment, and you may have a small bruise afterwards. A routine urine test needs a urine sample passed into a container, and the team will tell you how to collect it cleanly. One test in the anaemia package looks for hidden blood in a stool sample.

Fasting means no food and no drink except plain water, usually for 8 to 12 hours. Most people fast overnight and come in the morning. Tea, coffee, juice and milk break a fast. Water does not.

• Usually need fasting: fasting blood sugar, and often the lipid profile, which measures cholesterol and triglycerides. An ultrasound of the abdomen also needs an empty stomach, for at least six hours.
• Usually do not need fasting: a complete blood count, HbA1c, thyroid tests and a routine urine test.
• Timed samples: a post-meal sugar test needs a second sample about two hours after you eat. The team tells you what to eat and when.

Iron, liver tests and vitamin B12 are sometimes asked for fasting, depending on your doctor. If your prescription does not say, ask before you stop eating.

If you take insulin or tablets for diabetes, ask your doctor how to time your medicine and your meal on the day, and tell the team. Do not stop any prescribed medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Each group of tests answers a different question. One result seldom gives a diagnosis. Your doctor reads it with your symptoms, medicines and earlier reports.

• Complete blood count (CBC): counts red cells, white cells and platelets and measures haemoglobin. A low haemoglobin means anaemia. A raised white cell count can point to infection.
• Blood sugar and HbA1c: sugar shows glucose at the moment of the sample. HbA1c reflects your average over the last two to three months. Together they screen for diabetes and show how well it is controlled.
• Lipid profile: measures cholesterol and triglycerides, the fats in your blood. They matter because they add to the risk of heart and artery disease.
• Liver function tests: bilirubin, SGOT and SGPT (the liver enzymes), albumin and alkaline phosphatase. They show how the liver cells and bile flow are behaving, but they do not name every liver problem.
• Kidney function tests and urine tests: creatinine and urea in the blood show how well the kidneys clear waste, and uric acid is checked for gout and stones. A urine routine test looks for protein, sugar, blood and infection.
• Thyroid tests: TSH, T3 and T4 show whether the thyroid gland is making too little or too much hormone. Anti-TPO, an antibody test, is part of the thyroid package.
• Anaemia tests: an iron profile, vitamin B12, a blood smear and a reticulocyte count (a count of the youngest red cells) help find why haemoglobin is low.
• Calcium, vitamin D3 and parathyroid hormone (PTH): show the mineral supply and hormone control that bones depend on. They do not measure bone strength.
• Other tests: hepatitis B and C screening (HBsAg and HCV) and a clotting test (prothrombin time) are part of some packages. For selected vitamin, hormone and culture tests, send the prescription and the team will confirm.