The journal

01Articles

• ISO-J-01 · Preparation · 4 min read

  Fasting before a blood test: how long, and for which tests

  Not every blood test needs you to fast. Here is how to tell, and how to manage it without upsetting your morning.

• ISO-J-02 · Results · 5 min read

  Reading a laboratory report

  A value, a unit, a range, a marker: what each line contains, and what it doesn't tell you.

• ISO-J-03 · Check-ups · 4 min read

  The pre-marriage panel, step by step

  The tests for the pre-marriage certificate, what the text makes mandatory, and how to organise the sample for both fiancés.

• ISO-J-04 · Preparation · 3 min read

  Blood tests during Ramadan: planning your sample

  Opening hours, evening sampling and the check-ups to do before the month of fasting: what the laboratory adapts.

• ISO-J-05 · Diabetes · 3 min read

  HbA1c, a three-month memory of blood sugar

  Why glycated haemoglobin is measured without fasting, and why it is followed over time.

• ISO-J-06 · Thyroid · 3 min read

  TSH and FT4: what a thyroid panel measures

  TSH first, then FT4 depending on the result: how the laboratory chains the tests.

• ISO-J-07 · Haematology · 3 min read

  Iron and ferritin: what an iron panel measures

  Blood iron, ferritin and transferrin don't say the same thing: what each one measures.

• ISO-J-08 · Imaging · 4 min read

  MRI: why you are asked about implants

  The MRI's magnetic field doesn't forgive metal: what the safety questionnaire is for.

• ISO-J-09 · Sampling · 3 min read

  Blood tests for children: preparing the moment

  A few simple steps make a child's blood test calmer, for them and for you.

• ISO-J-10 · Preparation · 3 min read

  Collecting a 24-hour urine sample

  A complete collection, from one morning to the next: the method that makes the test reliable.

• ISO-J-11 · Hormones · 3 min read

  Hormone tests and the cycle day

  Why FSH, LH and estradiol are measured on a set day, and how the laboratory works out that day.

• ISO-J-12 · Results · 3 min read

  When the laboratory calls you: critical values

  Some results call for quick action. The laboratory calls first, and never announces them in a message.