Do You Have a Normal Range?

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Doing lots of tests inevitably will throw up questions of false positive false negative results. We attempt to make it simpler by having what we commonly refer to as a normal range. The more testing you do the more likelihood that you will get abnormal results that actually aren't abnormal at all. If I measure 100 people and even though you might be normal by chance five of those tests will be outside of the normal range. That doesn't mean that it's an abnormal result for you it's your normal result.

Companies selling private blood tests offer customers a way to check their health – from measuring cholesterol levels to thyroid hormones – from the comfort of their home. But what happens if there’s an abnormal result? Madeleine Finlay speaks to health journalist Emma Wilkinson and consultant chemical pathologist Dr Bernie Croal about how these tests work, how to interpret your results and whether an already overstretched NHS is being left to deal with the worried well. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod