The Harrow Health Care Centre

Second generation blood tests could save health services money

According to a recent study by Imperial College London, the current blood tests conducted by UK health organisations should be replaced with a more recent and accurate blood test in order to spot more cases of tuberculosis (TB).

TB is a bacterial infection, it generally affects the lungs and kills about 50 per cent of those that become infected if left untreated. For this reason, catching it early is imperative for a healthy recovery and to prevent it from spreading. Symptoms include coughing, fatigue, fever, night sweats, and chills.

Presently, the standard rapid UK blood test is called interferon-gamma release assays is capable of detecting TB. However, a recent study has been found that the accuracy of the current UK blood test is not as high as another “second-generation” blood test – which had 67.3 to 81.4 per cent accuracy and 94 per cent accuracy respectively.

The second-generation blood test was much more accurate when it came to detecting TB, using this test instead would enable health services to save money on resources and time as well as getting the patient the treatment they require sooner.

The study was led by Professor Ajit Lalvani, Chair in Infectious Diseases at the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London, who spoke of the “tens of thousands” of patients displaying symptoms of TB who receive blood tests which discover 5,000 cases of the infection each year.

Professor Lalvani went on to say that the new test could save health services money “improve and accelerate diagnostic assessment of patients with suspected TB.”

If you’re concerned that you’re experiencing one or more TB symptoms or are simply concerned about your health in any way, don’t hesitate to get in contact with Harrow Health Care for your own blood test.

Find out more at https://harrowhealthcare.co.uk/our-services/blood-tests-investigations/.

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