Home diagnostic tests have found application in many areas of medicine, such as gynecology, cardiology, gastrology, urinary tract diseases and infectious diseases. Home diagnostic tests are most often performed on the basis of blood, urine, feces, saliva and semen.

Diagnostic home testsare inexpensive and easy to perform, and the results may guide your doctor's follow-up. However, their results should be treated only as a guideline, not a certainty, and always consult a doctor and possibly confirm with another test, this time performed in a professional laboratory. This is because it can always happen that the self-examination has not been carried out in accordance with the instructions.

Home urine diagnostic tests

Urine is a material that, on the basis of tests available at a pharmacy, allows to detect:

  • Chorionic gonadotropin, produced by an embryo implanted in the uterus - its determination allows for the diagnosis of early pregnancy - this is achieved by pregnancy tests
  • protein in the urine, indicating inflammation of the urinary tract caused by bacterial infection, drug toxicity or other factors, e.g. hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune diseases

  • ketone bodies, the increase in concentration of which may be caused by a restrictive diet, excessive exercise, alcohol abuse, pregnancy, diabetes, high fever diseases
  • psychogenic and intoxicating substances such as marijuana, hashish, amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates, tetrahydrocannabinol, methadone, tricyclic antidepressants, barbiturates, benzodiazepines. The tests detect the presence of specific, selected compounds or a group of substances (up to 10) in the urine.

    • Home blood diagnostic tests

    Capillary blood taken from the finger with the use of special lancing devices can be used to determine the level:

  • glucose, which is especially important for diabetes self-control
  • cholesterol
  • antibodies against Helicobacter pylori (this is a bacteria that causes gastric ulcers and gastritis, among others)
  • PSA, the height of which may indicate prostate diseases
  • C-reactive protein, which is important in the diagnosis of bacterial infections and inflammations
  • troponin - it's a groupthree proteins that regulate contraction of the striated muscle and the heart muscle. troponin is used to confirm or rule out a heart attack or other damage to the heart muscle.

    • Home stool diagnostic tests

    Fecal occult blood can be determined, initial diagnosis of polyps, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer can be made.

    Semen home diagnostic tests

    Semen is used to assess the fertility status of a man.

    HIV home diagnostic tests

    The US Federal Food and Drug Administration approved the first rapid home HIV test a few years ago to identify a large number of undiagnosed HIV infections. It is simple to use as it only involves collecting the saliva and applying it to the test device. The result can be read after just 20 minutes. However, the test is not entirely reliable, so doctors do not recommend it.

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