Lab results explained
What your lab results actually mean
Plain-English explanations of the values that turn up on a blood test — what each one measures, what pushes it up or down, and what a doctor usually does next.
- Ferritinserum ferritin · iron stores
- HbA1cglycated haemoglobin · A1c · average blood sugar
- LDL cholesterolLDL-C · "bad" cholesterol
- TSHthyroid-stimulating hormone · thyrotropin
- Vitamin D25-hydroxyvitamin D · 25(OH)D
- ALTalanine aminotransferase · ALT/SGPT · liver enzyme
- Creatinine & eGFRserum creatinine · estimated glomerular filtration rate · kidney function
- CRPC-reactive protein · hs-CRP · inflammation marker
More values are being added. If the one you are looking for is not here yet, the reader will still explain it when you upload your report.
Why your lab's "normal" is not the same as ours
Reference ranges differ between laboratories — different equipment, different methods, different populations. That is why a value flagged high at one lab sits inside the range at another, and why the range printed on your own report is the one that counts.
Ranges also depend on who you are. Sex, age, pregnancy, medication and even the time of day move them, and most reports print one range for everybody. Reading a number without knowing any of that is how an entirely ordinary result becomes a fright.