Tests and investigations – articles and advice

Skip to main content

Home
Health advice
Medicines and treatment
Tools and resources
Community
Medical professionals

Health topics
Trusted patient information leaflets with clear, clinically reviewed advice on conditions, symptoms and treatments.
- Health topics
  All health topics
  Allergies, blood and immune system
  Bones, joints and muscles
  Brain and nerves
  Cancer
  Chest and lungs
  Children's health
  Diabetes
  Digestive health
  Ear, nose and throat
  Eye health
  Foot care
  General health
  Healthy living
  Heart health and blood vessels
  Hormones
  Infections
  Kidney and urinary tract
  Men's health
  Mental health
  Oral and dental care
  Pregnancy
  Senior health
  Sexual health
  Signs and symptoms
  Skin, nail and hair health
  Surgery and procedures
  Tests and investigations
  Travel and vaccinations
  Treatment and medication
  Women's health
Healthy living
Expert features, lifestyle guidance and real-life stories designed to support your everyday health and wellbeing.
- Healthy living
  Latest features
  Health news
  Browse all topics
  Cold and flu season
  Health research
  Weight loss management
  Student health
  Allergies, blood and immune system
  Bones, joints and muscles
  Brain and nerves
  Cancer
  Chest and lungs
  Children's health
  COVID-19
  Diabetes
  Diet and nutrition
  Digestive health
  Ear, nose and throat
  Eye health
  Foot care
  General health
  Healthy living
  Heart health and blood vessels
  Hormones
  Infections
  Kidney and urinary tract
  Men's health
  Mental health
  Oral and dental care
  Pregnancy
  Senior health
  Sexual health
  Signs and symptoms
  Skin, nail and hair health
  Tests and investigations
  Travel and vaccinations
  Treatment and medication
  Women's health
Travel advice
Find country-specific travel health advice.
- Featured countries
  Australia
  Brazil
  Canada
  Egypt
  India
  Japan
  Spain
  Countries A-Z
Tests and investigations
Information and guidance about tests and an easy, fast and accurate symptom checker.
- Tests and investigations
  Symptom checker
  AskPatient Ai
  About tests and investigations
  Biopsy
  Blood tests
  Endoscopy
  Heart tests
  Imaging
  Screening tests
  Urine and bladder tests
  Other tests and investigations
Medicine information
Information and fact sheets for patients and professionals. Find out side effects, medicine names, dosages and uses.
- Medicine information
  All medicines A-Z
  Drug interaction checker
  Allergy medicines
  Analgesics and pain medication
  Anti-inflammatory medicines
  Breathing treatment and respiratory care
  Cancer treatment and drugs
  Contraceptive medicines
  Diabetes medicines
  Medicine interactions
  ENT and mouth care
  Eye care medicine
  Gastrointestinal treatment
  Genitourinary medicine
  Heart disease treatment and prevention
  Hormonal imbalance treatment
  Hormone deficiency treatment
  Immunosuppressive drugs
  Infection treatment medicine
  Kidney conditions treatments
  Muscle, bone and joint pain treatment
  Nausea medicine and vomiting treatment
  Nervous system drugs
  Reproductive health
  Skin conditions treatments
  Substance abuse treatment
  Vaccines and immunisation
  Vitamin and mineral supplements
Find a healthcare provider
Search trusted NHS and private clinics registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
- Patient.info directory
  Find a healthcare provider
  Doctors/GPs
  Dentists
  Urgent care centres
  Hospitals
  Nursing homes
  Homecare agencies
  Hospices
  Diagnostics
  Browse all service categories
GP practice services
Easily manage your healthcare with digital tools for booking GP appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions, and more.
- GP practice services
  NHS App
  Pharmacy First
  Patient Record Access
Pharmacy services
Help with common conditions under the NHS Pharmacy First scheme, with prescription medication, delivered for free.
- Pharmacy First
  What is NHS pharmacy first
  Shingles
  Impetigo
  Sinusitis
  Infected insect bite
  Sore throat
  UTI
  Contraception
  Weight loss treatments
Medical tools and resources
Take charge of your health with easy-to-use tools and trusted resources.
- Patient tools and resources
  All medical calculators, tools and resources
  Symptom checker
  AskPatient Ai
  Personalised digital habit coaching
  BMI calculator
  Generalised anxiety disorder assessment
  Patient health questionnaire
  Pregnancy due date calculator
  Ovulation calculator
  Sleep debt calculator
  Calorie calculator
  BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator
  Glucose Ketone Index (GKI) calculator
  Epworth sleepiness scale
  Asthma control test (ACT)
  Benefits checker
  PIP helper
  Patient.info app
  Pollen map
Healthy eating
Healthy recipe inspiration for nourishing meals and everyday wellbeing.
- Healthy eating
  Browse all recipes
  Balanced nutrition
  Diabetes friendly
  Heart healthy
  High protein
  Low fat
  Low sugar
  Vegan
  Vegetarian
Health and wellness video library
Discover our library of trusted health videos.
- Health and wellness video library
  All health and wellness videos
  Visit our YouTube channel
  Bones, joints and muscles
  Cancer
  Diabetes
  General health and lifestyle
  Infections
  Mental health
  Other conditions
  Pregnancy and miscarriage
  Sexual health and contraception
  Women's health
  Explore more videos on YouTube
Self-assessment quizzes
Our self-assessment quizzes can help you recognise signs of common health conditions.
- Self-assessment quizzes
  All self-assessment quizzes
  Depression
  Diabetes
  OCD
  Periods
  Pregnancy
Brain teasers
Explore daily brain teasers that challenge how you think, reason and solve problems.
- Brain teasers
  Leaderboard
  Your progress and scores
  All brain teasers
  Complete the daily challenge
  The Daily Decode
  Myth or Fact
  Symptoms Sort
  Word Ladder
Patient communities
Browse discussions, ask questions, and share experiences across hundreds of health topics – all in a safe, supportive space.
- Patient communities
  Log in
  Sign up
  Browse all patient communities
  Allergies, blood and immune system
  Bones, joints and muscles
  Brain and nerves
  Cancer
  Chest and lungs
  Children's health
  Cosmetic surgery
  Diabetes
  Digestive health
  Ears, nose and throat
  Eye care
  Foot care
  General health and lifestyle
  Heart health and blood vessels
  Hormones
  Infections
  Kidney and urinary tract
  Men's health
  Mental health
  Oral and dental care
  Pregnancy
  Senior health
  Sexual health
  Signs and symptoms
  Skin, nail and hair health
  Tests and investigations
  Travel and vaccinations
  Treatment and medication
  Women's health
  Other conditions
Patient voices
Hear directly from people living with health conditions - everyday experiences, tough decisions, unexpected triumphs, and everything in between.
- Patient voices
  Browse all stories
  Children's health
  Hearing
  Mental health
  Senior health
  Women's health
Podcasts
Candid conversations on health from celebrities, experts and real people.
- Patient podcasts
  Browse all podcasts
  Yorkshire Talks
  Sex and Relationships
Medical professional hub
Information and tools written by clinicians for medical professionals, and training resources.
- Medical professional hub
  Medical professional content hub
  Clinical topics
  Professional articles A-Z
  Medicines information
  Medical tools and resources for professionals
Professional articles
Evidence-based professional reference pages authored by our clinical team for the use of medical professionals.
- Professional articles
  View all professional articles A-Z
  Browse by clinical topic
  Anaesthetics and pain control
  Cardiovascular disease
  Congenital and inherited disorders
  Dermatology
  Drug therapy
  Ear, nose and throat
  Emergency medicine and trauma
  Endocrine disorders
  Fertility and reproduction
  Gastroenterology
  General surgery
  Gynaecology
  Haematology
  History and examination
  Infectious disease
  Information governance and security
  Investigations
  Mental health
  Mouth and dental disorders
  Multisystem disease
  Neurology
  Nutrition
  Obstetrics
  Occupational illness
  Oncology
  Ophthalmology
  Orthopaedics and sports medicine
  Paediatrics
  Palliative and terminal care
  Pathological processes
  Primary care
  Public health medicine
  Renal disorders
  Respiratory medicine
  Rheumatology
  Screening and prevention
  Social care
  Therapies
  Thinking about medicine
  Toxicology and iatrogenic disorders
  Travel related disease
  Urology
Medical tools and resources
Clinical tools for medical professional use.
- Medical tools and resources
  All medical tools and resources
  All clinical calculators
  BMI calculator
  Generalised anxiety disorder assessment
  Patient health questionnaire
  Pregnancy due date calculator
  Digital Paediatric Growth Charts
  Social media toolkit