Julian Bradley wrote:
> At 16:15 25/08/2007, you wrote:
>> But why do the Ferritin in the first place? I know a colleague who seems
>> to think that a Hb much over 15 in a male is abnormal and orders a
>> Ferritin right away---his explanation being that it might be
>> haemochromatosis.
>
> Abnormal LFTs are the usual trigger _other than anaemia_, and around
> here it is considered part of the routine workup of abnormal LFTs.
>
Why? I don't mean it shouldn't be, just that for any test we do, it is
occasionally interesting to dig into why we do it. To what extent does
it decrease uncertainty, and does it decrease uncertainty about
haemochromatosis more in people with abnormal LFTs than in people whose
LFTs are not known to be abnormal?
I think we measure too many things, and too often measure instead of
thinking. I know why, it is because we are paid to do it, and pressed
to do it, and some of the pressure comes from people (informed by
people) who see mostly patients who are far more likely to be ill, and
therefore have their uncertainty reduced more by some measurements, and
see people half-yearly and therefore are predisposed to measure things
half-yearly.
I like science, but measurement is only part of it.
--
A
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