Abstract
A myriad of patient-related factors such as age, gender, dietary intake, and exercise can significantly impact clinical laboratory test results. These factors can be classified into two categories: non-modifiable patient-related factors (e.g., age) and modifiable patient-related factors (gender [to an extent], dietary intake, and exercise). Reference ranges have been established, in some cases, to account for the effects of age, and gender and the ranges are easily displayed by modern electronic laboratory information systems. Dietary intake has a marked effect on laboratory test results as noted by changes in lipid profiles, insulin, and glucose measurements. These changes reflect the metabolic and endocrine processes associated with food composition, amount, and intake intervals. The contribution of ethnicity/race, a social construct that is used as a surrogate marker for environmental, socio-economic/demographic, and/or genetic factors, on test results is debated. Only a few tests have widely used ethnic/race-specific reference intervals, with the exception of the estimated glomerular filtration rate calculation that is used in the United States. Other less known influences of fasting, special diets, nutraceuticals, genetic factors in the response to food and nutraceuticals, and cross-sex hormone regimens for transgender patients on laboratory tests are also discussed in this chapter.
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