Lab tests play an important role in your healthcare. The results can be used to rule out certain conditions or diseases, and they can also be used to determine if a disease or condition that you may already have is getting better or worse. But lab results are often shown as a set of numbers known as a reference range, which can be hard to understand.
So, here’s a guide you can use to shed some light on what your results mean to your overall health.
Keeping your cholesterol levels in check is important for a healthy heart and a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
Smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, prescription drugs, genetics
The “good” cholesterol levels; the higher the number, the better.
The “bad” cholesterol levels; keep them as low as possible. LDL cholesterol levels should be less than 100 mg/dL.
The most common type of fat in the body. High levels might indicate a build-up of fat deposits on your artery walls, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
A number determined by adding your HDL and LDL levels with 20% of your triglyceride levels. An optimal score is less than 180 milliliters per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is considered high.
To monitor kidney and liver function and electrolyte levels.
Eating large quantities of meat, taking certain medications.
Sugar in your blood. High numbers can indicate diabetes or pancreatitis; low numbers can indicate liver disease.
A waste product carried from the liver to the kidney and filtered out of the blood. Levels of urea nitrogen are one marker on how well your kidneys are working. A 7-20 mg/dL is considered normal, A low number might mean malnutrition; a high number can indicate kidney or liver disease.
Creatinine levels in the blood can vary depending on age, race and body size. A creatinine level of greater than 1.2 for women and greater than 1.4 for men may be an early sign that the kidneys are not working properly. As kidney disease progresses, the level of creatinine in the blood rises.
Protein that helps prevent fluid from leaking out of blood vessels and distributes nutrients throughout the body. A normal range for adult men is 3.5-5.0 g/dL, but the range may be slightly different for women. Low numbers indicate liver or kidney disease. Higher albumin levels may be caused by acute infections, burns, and stress from surgery or a heart attack.
Digestive fluid produced by the liver that shows up as a pigment in the bile. A normal range is 0.1-1.0 mg/dL. A high number might mean liver disease or bile duct disorder.
To measure essential blood function.
Infection, disease
White blood cell counts vary, but the normal range is usually between 4,000 and 11,000 per microliter of blood. A white blood cell count of less than 4,000 per microliter could mean your body may not be able to fight infection the way it should.
How well your body delivers oxygen to tissues throughout the body. A high number could indicate congenital heart disease. The normal RBC range for men is 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microliter (mcL). The normal RBC range for women who aren’t pregnant is 4.2 to 5.4 million mcL
The pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low count can indicate diseases such as cancer, cirrhosis, leukemia or iron deficiency anemia. A normal range for a man is 13.5-17.5 grams/dL or 135-175 grams/L; a normal range for a woman is 12-15.5 grams/dL or 120-155 grams/L.
Blood cells responsible for clotting. Low numbers are associated with lupus and both low and high numbers can indicate leukemia. A normal platelet count is 150-450 billion/L or 150,000-450,000/mcL.
