Amarillo Medical Specialists lab reference page
For those of you who are using our patient portal to download your lab results,
here is information on the normal ranges for your lab tests.
We encourage you to read our page "How
to interpret your lab tests". We have hosted this page since 1997, and
it gathered more attention than we thought possible. It has been accessed over 4
million times, published in book form, is a
#1 ranked site at Google, and is used as
a
reference on Wikipedia.
Laboratory tests are tools helpful in evaluating
the health status of an individual. It is important to realize that laboratory
results may be outside of the so-called "normal range" for many reasons. These
variations may be due to such things as race, dietetic preference, age, sex,
menstrual cycle, degree of physical activity, problems with collection
and/or handling of the specimen, non-prescription drugs (aspirin,
cold medications, vitamins, etc.), prescription drugs, alcohol
intake and a number of non-illness-related factors, Any unusual
or abnormal results should be discussed with your physician. It
is not possible to diagnose or treat any disease or problem with
this blood test alone. It can, however, help you to learn more
about your body and detect potential problems in early stages
when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most
effective.
Our lab, like almost all labs, sets the normal
result range for a particular test so that 95% of our healthy
patients fall within the normal range. That means that 5% of our
healthy patients fall outside of the normal range, even when
there is nothing wrong with them. Thus an abnormal test does not
necessarily mean that there is something wrong with you.
Statistically if you have 20 or 30 individual tests run as part
of a panel, chances are 1 or 2 will be slightly outside the
normal range. Part of what you see your doctor for is to
interpret whether or not these changes are significant.
Here are the normals for our most commonly ordered tests:
Hematology - CBC, Protime
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Name |
Normal Result |
WBC |
|
LYMPH |
|
LYMPH % |
|
MID |
|
MID % |
|
GRAN |
|
GRAN % |
|
RBC |
|
HGB |
|
HCT |
|
MCV |
|
MCH |
|
MCHC |
|
RDW |
|
PLT |
|
MPV |
|
Protime:
Note: Patients on Coumadin / warfarin will have higher
numbers. Check with your doctor's office to see what your target INR is.
We changed our Protime and INR normal ranges for tests on or
after 12/6/2007
BEFORE 12/6/2007
Name |
Normal Result |
PROTIME |
|
INR |
|
STARTING 12/6/2007
Name |
Normal Result |
PROTIME |
|
INR |
|
CHEMISTRY
Basic & Comprehensive Metabolic Panels
Name |
Normal Result |
BUN |
|
CREATININE |
|
GLUCOSE |
|
CALCIUM |
|
SODIUM |
|
POTASSIUM |
|
CHLORIDE |
|
CO2 |
|
BUN/CREATININE |
|
ANION GAP |
|
ALBUMIN |
|
TOTAL PROTEIN |
|
DIRECT BILI |
|
TOTAL BILI |
|
ALKALINE PHOS |
|
AST/SGOT |
|
ALT/SGPT |
|
Lipid Panel
Comment: While the normal LDL Cholesterol is listed at 130, many clinical
situations such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and previous heart disease
may cause your doctor to recommend a lower target level, such as 100 or 70,
depending upon your particular situation.
Lab:
Lipid Panel w/ Direct LDL |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
CHOLESTEROL |
|
TRIGLYCERIDES |
|
DIRECT HDL |
|
DIRECT LDL |
|
Lab:
PSA Prostate Specific Antigen |
|
Endocrine Labs
Our HbA1c method is calibrated using a NGSP DCCT-referenced method. While the
'normal range' is 6.0, the target for a patient with diabetes depends upon their
clinical situation. In general, AACE recommends a target for diabetes patients
of 6.5 or less.
Diabetes
Name |
Normal Result |
HbA1c-DCCT Ref |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
FRUCTOSAMINE |
|
Thyroid
Lab:
Free T3, Free T4, TSH |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
FREE T3 |
|
Lab:
Anti Thyroid Antibodies |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
ANTI-TG Ab |
|
ANTI-TPO Ab (Anti-microsomal antibody) |
(10.00-35.00 IU/mL) |
Thyroglobulin is commonly used to monitor thyroid cancer patients after
surgery or radioactive iodine. In this situation, the lowest numbers are the
best. Interpretation of the results depends upon whether or not the patient
was taking thyroid medication, or was given Thyrogen injections. The lower
limit of our test is 0.2. The normal range listed here is for patients who
have not had thyroid surgery, or treatment with radioactive iodine.
Name |
Normal Result |
THYROGLOBULIN |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
INTACT PTH |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
PROLACTIN |
|
Female 1.90-25.00 ng/mL
Male 2.5 - 17.00 ng/mL |
|
Cortisol levels must be interpreted according to time of day. They also are
commonly run as part of a Cortrosyn stimulation test or a dexamethasone
suppression test, thus the target range depends upon the clinical situation.
Name |
Normal Result |
CORTISOL |
|
In women, LH and FSH levels depend upon what part of the monthly menstrual cycle
they are in, or if they are postmenopausal from surgery or maturity. Men's LH
and FSH levels vary to a lesser degree with age.
Lab:
FSH (Follicular Stimulating Hormone) |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
FSH |
Postmenopausal: 21.7 - 153
Ovulatory Cycles:
Follicular Phase: 2.8 - 11.3
Follicular Phase Days 2 to 3: 3.0 - 14.4
Midcycle: 5.8 - 21.0
Luteal Phase: 1.2 - 9.0
Adult Males: 0.7 - 11.1 |
Lab:
Leutinizing Hormone (LH) |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
LH |
Postmenopausal: 11.3 - 39.8
Ovulatory Cycles:
Follicular Phase: 1.1 - 11.6
Midcycle: 17 - 77
Luteal Phase: 0.0 - 14.7
Perimenstrual, +/- 8 Days: 0.0 - 12.0
Adult Males: 0.8 - 7.6 |
Name |
Normal Result |
PROGESTERONE |
|
Females:
Follicular Phase: 0.33 - 1.2
Luteal Phase: 0.72 - 17.8
Post - menopausal: 0.0 - 1.0
Oral Contraceptives: 0.34 - 0.92
Pregnant Females:
First Trimester: 9.3 - 33.2
Second Trimester: 29.5 - 50.0
Third Trimester: 83.1 - 160
Males: 0.27 - 0.90 |
|
Name |
Normal Result |
T. TESTOSTERONE |
Expected Values for Females:
Ovulating: 63-120
Oral contraceptives: 54-71
Postmenopausal: 49-113
Expected Values for Males:
20-49 yrs.: 270-1730
> 50 years: 212-755
|
Vitamin D - While a 'normal result' is 10.0, many physicians feel that a
level of 30 or higher is healthier for bone health and cancer prevention.
Name |
Normal Result |
VITAMIN D 25-OH |
|
Urine Studies
Lab:
Urine Protein 24 hr (doesn't include
volume) |
|
Name |
Expected results |
T.URINE PROTEIN |
|
_tputest |
This is an internal calculation from our computer that is not
relevant |
24 HR. TP URINE |
|
Lab:
Creatinine Clearance |
|
Name |
Expected Results |
CREATININE |
|
URINE VOLUME |
|
URINE CREAT |
The urine creatinine concentration varies significantly
depending upon amount of fluid intake |
_TV |
This is an internal calculation from our computer that is not
relevant |
CREAT CLEARANCE |
|
Lab:
UA Urinalysis dipstick |
|
Name |
10/25/2007 |
COLOR |
|
CLARITY |
|
LEUKOCYTES |
|
NITRATE |
|
UROBILINOGEN |
|
PROTEIN |
|
pH |
|
BLOOD |
|
SPEC. GRAVITY |
|
KETONE |
|
BILIRUBIN |
|
GLUCOSE |
|
Lab:
UA Microscopic Add-On to dipstick |
|
Name |
10/25/2007 |
WBC |
|
RBC |
|
CASTS |
|
CRYSTALS |
|
YEAST |
|
EPITHELIAL CELL |
|
TRICHOMONAS |
|
BACTERIA |
|
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This page last updated:
12/06/07