Titration tests dilute a substance, such as blood, to determine the amount of a sought-after substance, resulting in a titer value. Medical titration tests can diagnose autoimmune diseases and confirm immunity to diseases. The tests are simple and involve drawing blood, waiting for results, and potentially taking further action.
A titre or titre is a value derived from a scientific method of testing called titration. Essentially, when titrating something like blood, the substance being sought is diluted (watered down) repeatedly to see how long the substance remains. The amount of times dilution occurs with the remaining appraisal item is its titer. This makes a lot more sense when considered in the context of medical testing, where there are many tests to determine different values of things involving titration samples.
Some common types of these tests include those to check for antibodies to various infectious diseases such as measles or mononucleosis. Blood titration is also useful for evaluating abnormal antibody responses that can occur in some autoimmune diseases. In diseases such as lupus or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a blood or serum antibody test can be used to evaluate the body’s immune response to itself. Higher titers or levels of antibody response can suggest that the body is attacking itself and creating an inflammatory response when it shouldn’t.
There are a few reasons a titer test is ordered to assess exposure or antibodies to certain diseases. Doctors may want to know if patients lost the immunities conferred by illness or vaccination years ago. Women who are considering becoming pregnant may be asked by their doctors to wait until they have a rubella test, to make sure they are still immune to this disease which can seriously affect an unborn baby. If immunity is not shown, a doctor may want to immunize a woman first and have her wait a few months before trying to get pregnant so that she is more protected.
In other situations, parents become uncomfortable with the many booster shots children receive and ask doctors to prove they are necessary by first performing an antibody test. When immunity has not been lost, parents may decide to wait before repeating vaccinations. In some places they may even be able to use test results as a means of proving immunity to school districts that require strict adherence to immunization schedules.
The contraction of some diseases is not always noticed initially. With titration, doctors may be able to look for disease or exposure to diagnose certain conditions. The presence of antibodies to mononucleosis often confirms the diagnosis of this disease. The titer can also be checked for things like herpes simplex virus. Positive antibodies or higher dilution levels suggest the presence of these diseases.
Certain types of titer tests are diagnostically useful when autoimmune diseases are suspected. It can be very difficult to positively confirm a diagnosis of lupus in its early stages. Title tests, while not always complete confirmation, can help make this easier.
People who have been asked to take a title test should know that in most cases the average test is not that complicated. It typically involves drawing a small amount of blood from a healthcare professional, often at a local laboratory. The actual titration takes place in a laboratory and the person waits at home for the results, which are usually first sent to the doctor and then discussed between doctor and patient. Depending on the type of test, the next step will vary enormously and could involve doing nothing, getting an immunization, or starting treatment for an illness or disease.
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