Reference ranges for common blood tests
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A reference range is a set of values used by a health professional to interpret a set of medical test results. The range is usually defined as the set of values 95% of the normal population falls within.
The reference range will vary, depending on the age, sex and race of a population, and even the instruments the laboratory uses to perform the tests. Furthermore, by definition, 5% of the normal population will fall outside the reference range.
Clinical biochemistry
- Items marked with a ** are part of "CHEM-7"[1] and CHEM-20
- Items marked with a * are part of "CHEM-20"[2], but not CHEM-7
| Category | Test | Low | High | Unit | Comments |
| Electrolytes and Metabolites[3] | ** Sodium (Na) | 136 | 145 | mmol/L | |
| ** Potassium (K) | 3.5 | 4.5 | mmol/L | ||
| Urea | 2.5 | 6.4 | mmol/L | ** BUN - blood urea nitrogen | |
| Urea | 7 | 18 | mg/dL | ||
| ** Creatinine - male | 62 | 115 | μmol/L | ||
| ** Creatinine - female | 53 | 97 | μmol/L | ||
| ** Creatinine - male | 0.7 | 1.3 | mg/dL | ||
| ** Creatinine - female | 0.6 | 1.1 | mg/dL | ||
| ** Glucose (fasting) | 3.9 | 5.8 | mmol/L | See also glycosylated hemoglobin | |
| ** Glucose (fasting) | 70 | 105 | mg/dL | ||
| Liver function tests | * Total Protein | 60 | 80 | g/L | |
| * Albumin | 35[4] | 50 | g/L | ||
| * Total Bilirubin | 2 | 14 | μmol/L | ||
| * Direct Bilirubin | 0 | 4 | μmol/L | ||
| * Alanine transaminase (ALT) | 8 | 40 | U/L | Also called serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) | |
| * Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) | 40 | 130 | U/L | Higher in children and pregnant women. | |
| * Gamma glutamyl transferase | n/a | 50 | U/L | ||
| Other enzymes and proteins | Creatine kinase (CK) - male | 24[5] | 195 | U/L | |
| Creatine kinase (CK) - female | 24[6] | 170 | U/L | ||
| * Aspartate transaminase (AST) | 8 | 35 | U/L | Also called serum glutamic oxatoacetic transaminase (SGOT) | |
| * Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) | 85 | 285 | U/L | ||
| Amylase | n/a | 120[7] | U/L | ||
| C-reactive protein (CRP) | n/a | 5[8] | mg/L | ||
| D-dimer | n/a | 500 | ng/mL | ||
| Other ions and trace metals | Ionised calcium (Ca) | 1.15 | 1.29 | mmol/L | Some calcium is bound to albumin, thus not measured by certain techniques. |
| * Total calcium (Ca) | 2.05 | 2.55 | mmol/L | ||
| Copper (Cu) | 11[9] | 24 | μmol/L | ||
| Zinc (Zn) | 10 | 17 | μmol/L | ||
| Lipids | Triglycerides | 0.4 | 2 | mmol/L | |
| * Total cholesterol | 3 | 5.0[10] | mmol/L | ||
| HDL cholesterol (male) | 0.7 | 1.9 | mmol/L | ||
| (female) | 0.9 | 2.4 | mmol/L | ||
| LDL cholesterol | 2.4 | 3[10] | mmol/L | Not valid when triglycerides >5.0 mmol/L. | |
| Tumour markers | Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) | n/a | 10 | kU/l | |
| Beta Human chorionic gonadotrophin (bHCG) | n/a | 5 | IU/l | ||
| CA-125 (also CA12.5) | n/a | 35 | U/ml | ||
| CA15.3 | n/a | 28 | U/ml | ||
| CA19.9 | n/a | 40 | U/ml | ||
| Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) - non-smokers | n/a | 3 | μg/l | ||
| Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) - smokers | n/a | 5 | μg/l | ||
| Prostate specific antigen (PSA) | n/a | 4 | μg/L | ||
| Hormones | Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) | 0.4 | 4.7 | mIU/L | Also called: Thyrotropin |
| Free thyroxine (FT4) | 9 | 24 | pmol/L | ||
| Free triiodothyronine (FT3) | 2.5 | 5.3 | pmol/L | ||
| Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) | 1.3 | 15 | pmol/L | ||
| Cortisol (0830 h) | 250 | 850 | nmol/L | Cortisol levels are higher in the morning than at night. | |
| Cortisol (1630 h) | 110 | 390 | nmol/L | ||
| Prolactin (male) | n/a | 450 | mIU/L | ||
| (female) | n/a | 580 | mIU/L | ||
| Testosterone (male) | 8 | 38 | nmol/L | ||
| (male prepuberty) | 0.1 | 0.5 | nmol/L | ||
| (female) | 0.3 | 2.5 | nmol/L |
- Not listed: ** chloride, ** carbon dioxide, * uric acid,
Hematology
| Category | Test | Low | High | Unit | Comments |
| Red blood cells | Haemoglobin (Hb) (male) | 140 | 180 | g/L | Higher in neonates, lower in children. |
| (female) | 115 | 160 | g/L | Sex difference negligible until adulthood. | |
| Haematocrit (Hct) (male) | 0.38 | 0.52 | |||
| (female) | 0.35 | 0.47 | |||
| Mean cell volume (MCV) | 80 | 98 | fL | Cells are larger in neonates, though smaller in other children. | |
| Mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) | 26 | 34 | pg | ||
| Red cell count (male) | 4.5 | 6.5 | x1012/L | ||
| (female) | 3.8 | 5.8 | x1012/L | ||
| Reticulocytes | 10 | 100 | x109/L | ||
| erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | n/a | 20 | mm/hr | Females tend to have a higher ESR. ESR increases with age. | |
| White blood cells | The Total white blood cells | 4 | 11 | x109/L | Higher in neonates and infants. |
| Neutrophil granulocytes | 2 | 7.5 | x109/L | 45-74%. Also known as granulocytes (grans), polys, PMNs, or segs. | |
| Lymphocytes | 1.3 | 4 | x109/L | 16-45% | |
| Monocytes | 0.2 | 0.8 | x109/L | 4.0-10% | |
| Eosinophil granulocytes | 0.04 | 0.4 | x109/L | 0.0-7.0% | |
| Basophil granulocytes | 0.01 | 0.1 | x109/L | 0.0-2.0% | |
| Coagulation | Platelets | 150 | 400 | x109/L | Platelets are part of the formation of blood clots |
| Prothrombin time (PT) | 7 | 10 | s | PT reference varies between laboratory kits - INR is standardised | |
| INR | 0.9 | 1.2 | The INR is a corrected ratio of a patients PT to normal | ||
| Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) | 29 | 41 | s | ||
| Thrombin clotting time (TCT) | 11 | 18 | s | ||
| Fibrinogen | 1.8 | 4 | g/L | ||
| Bleeding time | 2 | 9 | minutes |
Immunology
| Category | Test | Low | High | Unit | Comments |
| Acute phase protein markers of Inflammation | Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | 0 | (Age, +10 if female)/2 | mm/hr | |
| C-reactive protein (CRP) | 0 | 6 | mg/L | ||
| Autoantibodies | Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) | ||||
| Extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) | |||||
| Rheumatoid factor (RF) | 0 | 20 | IU/mL | High levels not specific for Rheumatoid Arthritis alone. | |
| Serology | Antistreptolysin O titre (ASOT) - preschoolers | n/a | 100 | units/mL | |
| Antistreptolysin O titre (ASOT) - others | n/a | 200 | units/mL |
See also
- Blood test
- Comprehensive metabolic panel
- Medical technologist
- Cardiology diagnostic tests and procedures
References
- ↑ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia 003462
- ↑ MedlinePlus Encyclopedia 003468
- ↑ C. A. Burtis and E. R. Ashwood, Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry (1994) 2nd edition, ISBN 0-7216-4472-4
- ↑ 288686147 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 1436155929 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 1436155929 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 309002307 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 946536472 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 1040580630 at GPnotebook
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 -214630397 at GPnotebook
External links
- biochemical reference values at GPnotebook
- Values at lymphomation.org
- Descriptions at amarillomed.com
- Values at bloodbook.com
- Values at lef.org
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .

