LAB TESTS
What your lab report actually says
For 40 common blood tests: what each one measures, how to read a result when your report uses a different unit than the last one did, and — where a named body has published one — the threshold that defines each category. Start with what a normal range really is, which is not the same question on every test.
- AlbuminSerum Albumin
- Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)ALP, SAP
- BilirubinTotal Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin
- Blood GlucoseBlood Sugar, Fasting Glucose
- Blood UreaUrea, Blood Urea Nitrogen
- Blood Urea NitrogenBUN
- CalciumSerum Calcium, Total Calcium
- ChlorideCl, Serum Chloride
- CholesterolTotal Cholesterol, Lipid Profile
- CreatinineSerum Creatinine, SCr
- CRPC-Reactive Protein, hs-CRP
- ESRErythrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Sed Rate
- FerritinSerum Ferritin
- Free T4FT4, Free Thyroxine
- GGTGamma GT, Gamma Glutamyl Transferase
- HaemoglobinHemoglobin, Hb
- HbA1cGlycated Haemoglobin, Glycosylated Haemoglobin
- MagnesiumMg, Serum Magnesium
- MCHMean Corpuscular Haemoglobin, Mean Cell Hemoglobin
- MCHCMean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration
- MCVMean Corpuscular Volume, Mean Cell Volume
- PCV (Haematocrit)Haematocrit, Hematocrit
- PhosphorusPhosphate, Inorganic Phosphorus
- Platelet CountPLT, Thrombocyte Count
- PotassiumK, Serum Potassium
- RBC CountRed Blood Cell Count, Erythrocyte Count
- Serum IronFe, Iron
- SGOT (AST)AST, Aspartate Aminotransferase
- SGPT (ALT)ALT, Alanine Aminotransferase
- SodiumNa, Serum Sodium
- T3Triiodothyronine, Total T3
- T4Thyroxine, Total T4
- TIBCTotal Iron Binding Capacity, Iron Binding Capacity
- Total ProteinSerum Protein, Protein Total
- TriglyceridesTG, Trig
- TSHThyroid Stimulating Hormone, Thyrotropin
- Uric AcidSerum Uric Acid, SUA
- Vitamin B12B12, Cobalamin
- Vitamin D25-OH Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
- WBC Count (TLC)TLC, Total Leukocyte Count