Reference Values for Commonly Ordered Blood Tests
| REFERENCE VALUES FOR COMMONLY ORDERED TESTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyte | Specimen | Reference value | |
| Conventional units | SI units | ||
| Adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) | P | 6.0–76.0pg/mL | 1.3–16.7pmol/L |
| Aminotransferases | S | ||
| Aspartate (AST, SGOT) | 0–35U/L | 0–0.58μkat/L | |
| Alanine (ALT, SGPT) | 0–35U/L | 0–0.58μkat/L | |
| Ammonia (as NH3) | P | 10–80μg/dL | 6–47μmol/L |
| Amylase | S | 60–180U/L | 0.8–3.2μkat/L |
| Anion gap | S | 7–16mmol/L | 7–16mmol/L |
| Antinuclear antibody | S | Negative at 1:40 dilution | N/A |
| Antithrombin III | P | ||
| Antigenic | 22–39mg/dL | 220–390mg/L | |
| Functional | 80–130% | 0.8–1.30U/L | |
| Arterial blood gases (sea level) | WB, arterial | ||
| Bicarbonate (HCO3–) | 21–30mEq/L | 21–28mmol/L | |
| Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) | 35–45mmHg | 4.7–5.9kPa | |
| pH | 7.38–7.44 | 7.38–7.44 | |
| Partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) | 80–100mmHg | 11–13kPa | |
| Bilirubin | S | ||
| Total | 0.3–1.0mg/dL | 5.1–17.0μmol/L | |
| Direct | 0.1–0.3mg/dL | 1.7–5.1μmol/L | |
| Indirect | 0.2–0.7mg/dL | 3.4–12.0μmol/L | |
| Bleeding time | 2.0–9.5min | 2.0–9.5min | |
| Calcitonin | S | ||
| Male | 3–26pg/mL | 3–26ng/L | |
| Female | 2–17pg/mL | 2–17ng/L | |
| Calcium | S | 9.0–10.5mg/dL | 2.2–2.6mmol/L |
| Calcium, ionized | WB | 4.5–5.6mg/dL | 1.1–1.4mmol/L |
| Carbon dioxide | |||
| Content (sea level) | P | 21–30mEq/L | 21–30mmol/L |
| Partial pressure (PCO2) (sea level) | WB, arterial | 35–45mmHg | 4.7–5.9kPa |
| Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) | S | 0–3.4ng/mL | 0–3.4μg/L |
| Chloride | S | 98–106mEq/L | 98–106mmol/L |
| Cholesterol (totals)* | P | ||
| Desirable | <200mg/dL | <5.17mmol/L | |
| Borderline high | 200–239mg/dL | 5.17–6.18mmol/L | |
| High | ≥240mg/dL | ≥6.18mmol/L | |
| Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol | P | ||
| Desirable | <100mg/dL | <2.59mmol/L | |
| Near or above normal | 100–129mg/dL | 2.59–3.34mmol/L | |
| Borderline high | 130–159mg/dL | 3.36–4.11mmol/L | |
| High | 160–189mg/dL | 4.13–4.88mmol/L | |
| Very high | ≥190mg/dL | ≥4.91mmol/L | |
| High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol | P | ||
| Low | <40mg/dL | <1.03mmol/L | |
| High | ≥60mg/dL | ≥1.55mmol/L | |
| Copper | S | 70–140μg/dL | 11–22μmol/L |
| Cortisol | S | ||
| Fasting, 8am–noon | 5–25μg/dL | 138–690nmol/L | |
| Noon–8pm | 5–15μg/dL | 138–414nmol/L | |
| 8pm–8am | 0–10μg/dL | 0–276nmol/L | |
| Creatine kinase (totals) | S | ||
| Male | 60–400U/L | 1.00–6.67μkat/L | |
| Female | 40–150U/L | 0.67–2.50μkat/L | |
| MB isoenzyme | 0–7ng/mL | 0–7μg/L | |
| Creatinine | S | <1.5mg/dL | <133μmol/L |
| Erythrocyte count | WB | ||
| Male | 4.50–5.90 × 106/mm3 | 4.50–5.90 × 1012/L | |
| Female | 4.00–5.20 × 106/mm3 | 4.00–5.20 × 1012/L | |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate | WB | ||
| Male | 0–17mm/hr | 0–17mm/hr | |
| Female | 1–25mm/hr | 1–25mm/hr | |
| Ferritin | S | ||
| Male | 30–300ng/mL | 30–300μg/L | |
| Female | 10–200ng/mL | 10–200μg/L | |
| Fibrinogen | P | 150–400mg/dL | 1.5–4.0g/L |
| Folate (folic acid) | S, P | ||
| Normal | 3.1–17.5ng/mL | 7.0–39.7nmol/L | |
| Borderline deficient | 2.2–3.0ng/mL | 5.0–6.8nmol/L | |
| Deficient | <2.2ng/mL | <5.0nmol/L | |
| Excess | >17.5ng/mL | >39.7nmol/L | |
| Folic acid | RC | 150–450ng/mL/cells | 340–1020nmol/L/cells |
| Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) | S, P | ||
| Female, menstruating | |||
| Follicular phase | 3.0–20.0 mIU/mL | 3.0–20.0 IU/L | |
| Ovulatory phase | 9.0–26.0 mIU/mL | 9.0–26.0 IU/L | |
| Luteal phase | 1.0–12.0 mIU/mL | 1.0–12.0 IU/L | |
| Female, postmenopausal | 18.0–153.0 mIU/mL | 18.0–153.0 IU/L | |
| Male | 1.0–12.0 mIU/mL | 1.0–12.0 IU/L | |
| Glucose | P | ||
| Fasting, normal | 75–115mg/dL | 4.2–6.4mmol/L | |
| Fasting, diabetes mellitus | >125mg/dL | >7.0mmol/L | |
| 2-hour postprandial | 120mg/dL | <6.7mmol/L | |
| Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, erythrocyte | WB | No gross deficiency | N/A |
| γ-Glutamyltransferase | S | 1–94U/L | 1–94U/L |
| Haptoglobin | S | 16–199mg/dL | 0.16–1.99g/L |
| Hematocrit | WB | ||
| Male | 41.0–53.0% | 0.41–0.53 | |
| Female | 36.0–46.0% | 0.36–0.46 | |
| Hemoglobin | |||
| Plasma | P | 1–5mg/dL | 0.01–0.05g/L |
| Whole blood, male | WB | 13.5–17.5g/dL | 8.4–10.9mmol/L |
| Whole blood, female | WB | 12.0–16.0g/dL | 7.4–9.9mmol/L |
| Hemoglobin electrophoresis | WB | ||
| Hemoglobin A | 95–98% | 0.95–0.98 | |
| Hemoglobin A1c | 3.8–6.4% | 0.038–0.064 Hg fraction | |
| Hemoglobin A2 | 1.5–3.5% | 0.015–0.035 | |
| Hemoglobin F | 0–2.0% | 0–0.02 | |
| Hemoglobins other than A, A2, or F | Absent | Absent | |
| Iron (hematology and coagulation values) | S | 30–160μg/dL | 5.4–28.7μmol/L |
| Iron-binding capacity (hematology and coagulation values) | S | 228–428μg/dL | 40.8–76.7μmol/L |
| Iron (clinical chemistry values) | S | 50–150μg/dL | 9–27μmol/L |
| Iron-binding capacity (clinical chemistry values) | S | 250–370μg/dL | 45–66μmol/L |
| Lactate | P, venous | 5–15mg/dL | 0.6–1.7mmol/L |
| Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes | S | ||
| Fraction 1 (of total) | 14–26% | 0.14–0.25 | |
| Fraction 2 | 29–39% | 0.29–0.39 | |
| Fraction 3 | 20–26% | 0.20–0.25 | |
| Fraction 4 | 8–16% | 0.08–0.16 | |
| Fraction 5 | 6–16% | 0.06–0.16 | |
| Lactate dehydrogenase | S | 100–190U/L | 1.7–3.2μkat/L |
| Lead (adult) | S | <10–20μg/dL | <0.5–1.0μmol/L |
| Leukocyte count (WBC) | WB | 4.5–11.0 × 103/mm3 | 4.5–11.0 × 109/L |
| Lipase | S | 0–160U/L | 0–2.66μkat/L |
| Magnesium | S | 1.8–3.0mg/dL | 0.8–1.2mmol/L |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) | WB | 26.0–34.0pg/cell | 26.0–34.0pg/cell |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) | WB | 31.0–37.0g/dL | 310–370g/L |
| Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) | WB | 80–100μm3 | 80–100fl |
| Osmolality | P | 285–295mOsm/kg serum water | 285–295mmol/kg serum water |
| Oxygen | |||
| Content (sea level) | WB (arterial) | 17–21 vol% | |
| WB (venous, arm) | 10–16 vol% | ||
| Saturation (sea level) | WB (arterial) | 97% | 0.97mol/mol |
| WB (venous, arm) | 60–85% | 0.60–0.85mol/mol | |
| Partial pressure (PO2) | WB | 80–100mmHg | 11–13kPa |
| Partial-thromboplastin time (activated) | P | 22.1–35.1sec | 22.1–35.1sec |
| Phosphatase | S | ||
| Acid | 0–5.5U/L | 0.90nkat/L | |
| Alkaline | 30–120U/L | 0.5–2.0nkat/L | |
| Phosphorus, inorganic | S | 3–4.5mg/dL | 1.0–1.4mmol/L |
| Platelet count | WB | 150–350 × 103/mm3 | 150–350 × 109/L |
| Potassium | S | 3.5–5.0mEq/L | 3.5–5.0mmol/L |
| Progesterone | S, P | ||
| Female, menstruating | |||
| Follicular | <0.2ng/mL | <0.6nmol/L | |
| Midluteal | 3–20ng/mL | 9.54–63.6nmol/L | |
| Male | <0.2–1.4ng/mL | <0.60–4.45nmol/L | |
| Prolactin | S | ||
| Male | 0–15ng/mL | 0–15μg/L | |
| Female | 0–20ng/mL | 0–20μg/L | |
| Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) | S | ||
| Female | <0.5ng/mL | <0.5μg/L | |
| Male | |||
| ≤40 years | 0–2.0ng/mL | 0–2.0μg/L | |
| >40 years | 0–4.0ng/mL | 0–4.0μg/L | |
| Protein | S | ||
| Total | 5.5–8.0g/dL | 55–80g/L | |
| Fractions | |||
| Albumin | 3.5–5.5g/dL (50–60%) | 35–55g/L | |
| Alpha1 | 0.2–0.4g/dL (4.2–7.2%) | 2–4g/L | |
| Alpha2 | 0.5–0.9g/dL (6.8–12%) | 5–9g/L | |
| Beta | 0.6–1.1g/dL (9.3–15%) | 6–11g/L | |
| Gamma | 0.7–1.7g/dL (13–23%) | 7–17g/L | |
| Globulin | 2.0–3.5g/dL (40–50%) | 20–35g/L | |
| Protein C | P | ||
| Total antigen | 70–140% | 0.70–1.40 | |
| Functional | 70–140% | 0.70–1.40 | |
| Protein S | P | ||
| Total antigen | 70–140% | 0.70–1.40 | |
| Functional | 70–140% | 0.70–1.40 | |
| Free antigen | 70–140% | 0.70–1.40 | |
| Prothrombin time | P | 11.1–13.1sec | 11.1–13.1sec |
| Reticulocyte count | WB | 0.5–2.5% red cells | 0.005–0.025 red cells |
| Rheumatoid factor | S, JF | <30.0 IU/mL | <30.0 kIU/L |
| Sodium | S | 136–145mEq/L | 136–145mmol/L |
| Testosterone | S | ||
| Total (morning) | |||
| Female | 6–86ng/dL | 0.21–2.98nmol/L | |
| Male | 270–1070ng/dL | 9.36–37.10nmol/L | |
| Thyroid hormone function tests | S | ||
| Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) | 0.5–4.7μU/mL | 0.5–4.7mU/L | |
| Thyroxine | |||
| Total (T4) | 4.5–10.9μg/dL | 58–140nmol/L | |
| Free (fT4) | 0.8–2.7ng/dL | 10.3–35.0pmol/L | |
| Triiodothyronine | |||
| Total (T3) | 60–181ng/dL | 0.92–2.78nmol/L | |
| Free (fT3) | 1.4–4.4pg/mL | 0.22–6.78pmol/L | |
| Transferrin | S | 230–390mg/dL | 2.3–3.9g/L |
| Triglycerides | S | <160mg/dL | <1.8mmol/L |
| Urea nitrogen | S | 10–20mg/dL | 3.6–7.1mmol/L |
| Uric acid | S | ||
| Male | 2.5–8.0mg/dL | 150–480μmol/L | |
| Female | 1.5–6.0mg/dL | 90–360μmol/L | |
| Vitamin A | S | 20–100μg/dL | 0.7–3.5μmol/L |
| Vitamin B12 | S, P | ||
| Normal | >250pg/mL | >185pmol/L | |
| Borderline | 125–250pg/mL | 92–185pmol/L | |
| Deficient | <125pg/mL | <92pmol/L | |
| NOTES | |||
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Key: JF = joint fluid; P = plasma; RC = red cells; S = serum; WB = whole blood. |
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| REFERENCES | |||
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*National Institutes of Health. Third report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). September 2002. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/index.htm. Accessed February 28, 2013. Adapted from Kratz A, Ferraro M, Sluss P, et al. Laboratory reference values. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(15):1548–1563. (Created 5/2013) |
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This article originally appeared on MPR
