World Laboratory Day 2019 – working behind the scenes of medicine

Physicians' diagnoses can hardly be imagined without the laboratory. About 70 per cent of diagnoses are either based on lab results or confirmed by them. This makes laboratory medicine crucial for patient care. Furthermore, research laboratories are the places where the findings for new therapies and diagnostic methods are made. Laboratories thus build the road to the future of medicine.

Not only regular follow-ups of chronic diseases like diabetes are performed in the laboratory, but also diagnoses of acute ones. This is for example very important when it comes to severe infections. In these cases, the pathogen responsible and its resistances need to be identified. The laboratory furthermore supports therapy with the identification of biomarkers in bodily fluids or tissue samples of cancer patients that allow to fine-tune drug treatment. Lab work is not only about finding the right cure, but also about keeping people healthy. In sports medicine, laboratory medicine draws a better picture of an athlete’s health and capabilities. In geriatrics, it can indicate malnutrition.

The laboratory is medicine's chameleon. The work can differ a lot from one lab to the next, but it still is rarely even noticed. If you want to take the opportunity and become active yourself now, show what laboratory medicine can achieve by posting at social media and using the hashtag #worldlaboratoryday.

Our editorial team has not been idle, either: You can find a selection of current articles about laboratory medicine and laboratory technology here.