Blood Tests*
Blood Tests*
Test | Reference Range or Threshold (Conventional Units†) |
|---|---|
Acidity (pH) | 7.35–7.45 |
Alcohol (ethanol) | 0 mg/dL (more than 0.1 mg/dL usually indicates intoxication) |
Ammonia | 15–50 units/L |
Amylase | 53–123 units/L |
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA)‡ | 0 (negative result) |
Ascorbic acid | 0.4–1.5 mg/dL |
Bicarbonate (carbon dioxide content) | 18–23 mEq/L |
Bilirubin | Direct: Up to 0.4 mg/dL |
Total: Up to 1.0 mg/dL | |
Blood volume | 8.5–9.1% of body weight |
Calcium | 8.5–10.5 mg/dL (slightly higher in children) |
Carbon dioxide pressure (expressed as a comparison with how high the level of mercury [Hg] rises in a tube due to air pressure at sea level) | 35–45 mm Hg |
Carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide in hemoglobin) | Less than 5% of total hemoglobin |
CD4 cell count | 500–1500 cells/μL |
Ceruloplasmin | 15–60 mg/dL |
Chloride | 98–106 mEq/L |
Complete blood cell count (CBC) | See individual tests: Hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, and white blood cell count |
Copper | 70–150 μg/dL |
Creatine kinase (CK), also called creatine phosphokinase (CPK) | Male: 38–174 units/L |
Female: 96–140 units/L | |
Creatine kinase (CK) in its different forms (isoenzymes) | 5% or less of CK-MB (the form that occurs mainly in heart muscle) |
Creatinine | 0.6–1.2 mg/dL |
Electrolytes | See individual tests: Calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and sodium (which are routinely tested) |
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | Male: 1–13 mm/hour |
Female: 1–20 mm/hour | |
Glucose | Fasting: 70–110 mg/dL |
Hematocrit | Male: 45–52% |
Female: 37–48% | |
Hemoglobin | Male: 13–18 g/dL |
Female: 12–16 g/dL | |
Iron | 60–160 μg/dL (higher in males) |
Iron-binding capacity | 250–460 μg/dL |
Lactate (lactic acid) | Venous: 4.5–19.8 mg/dL |
Arterial: 4.5–14.4 mg/dL | |
Lactic dehydrogenase | 50–150 units/L |
Lead | 20 μg/dL or less (much lower in children) |
Lipase | 10–150 units/L |
Lipids: | |
Cholesterol, total | Less than 225 mg/dL (for age 40–49 yr; increases with age) |
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) | 30–70 mg/dL |
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) | 60 mg/dL |
Triglycerides | 40–200 mg/dL (higher in males) |
Liver function tests | Include bilirubin (total), phosphatase (alkaline), protein (total and albumin), transaminases (alanine and aspartate), prothrombin |
Magnesium | 1.5–2.0 mg/dL |
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) | 27–32 pg/cell |
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) | 32–36% hemoglobin/cell |
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) | 76–100 cubic μm |
Osmolality | 280–296 mOsm/kg plasma |
Oxygen pressure (expressed as a comparison with the level of mercury [Hg] in a tube, which results from air pressure at sea level) | 83–100 mm Hg |
Oxygen saturation (arterial) | 96–100% |
Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) | 30–45 seconds |
Phosphatase (alkaline) | 50–160 units/L (higher in infants and adolescents, lower in females) |
Phosphorus | 3.0–4.5 mg/dL |
Platelet count | 150,000–350,000/mL |
Potassium | 3.5–5.0 mEq/L |
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) | 0–4 ng/mL (increases with age) |
Protein: | |
Total | 6.0–8.4 g/dL |
Albumin | 3.5–5.0 g/dL |
Globulin | 2.3–3.5 g/dL |
Prothrombin time (PT) | 10–13 seconds |
Red blood cell (RBC) count | 4.2–5.9 million/mL |
Sodium | 135–145 mEq/L |
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) | 0.5–5.0 m units/L |
Transaminases (liver enzymes): | |
Alanine (ALT) | 1–21 units/L |
Aspartate (AST) | 7–27 units/L |
Troponin in its different forms: | |
I | Less than 1.6 ng/mL |
T | Less than 0.1 ng/mL |
Urea nitrogen (BUN) | 7–18 mg/dL |
Uric acid | 3.0–7.0 mg/dL |
Vitamin A§ | 30–65 μg/dL |
White blood cell (WBC) count | 4,300–10,800 /mL |
*Blood can be tested for many other substances as well. †Units are explained in Appendix I. Conventional units can be converted to international units by using a conversion factor. International units (IU), a different system, are sometimes used by laboratories. ‡ Other antibodies can also be identified. §Other vitamins can also be measured. | |