Reference ranges for common blood tests
A
reference range is a set of values used by a health professional to interpret a set of
medical test results. The range is usually defined as the set of values 95% of the normal population falls within.
It must be remembered that the reference range will vary, depending on the age, sex and race of a population, and even the machines the laboratory uses to do the tests. Also remember that by definition 5% of the normal population will fall outside the reference range.
These are approximate adult values that are intended as a guide to students and those interested, they are not a substitute for medical advice.
Clinical biochemistry
Electrolytes and Metabolytess
Liver function tests
| Total Protein | 60 - 80/td> | |
| Albumin | 30 - 50/td> | |
| Total Bilirubin | 2 - 14 μm/td> | |
| Direct Bilirubin | 0 - 4 μm/td> | |
| Alanine transaminase (ALT) | 8 - 40/td> | Also called serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase |
| Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) | 40 - 130/td> | Higher in children and pregnant women. |
| Gamma glutamyl transferase | < 50/td> | |
Other enzymes and proteins
Other ions and trace metals
| Ionised calcium (Ca) | 1.15 - 1.29 mm/td> | Some calcium is bound to albumin, thus not measured by certain techniques. |
| Total calcium (Ca) | 2.05 - 2.55 mm/td> | |
| Copper (Cu) | 11 - 26 μm/td> | |
| Zinc (Zn) | 10 - 17 μm/td> | |
Lipids
Tumour markers
Hormones
| Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) | 0.5 - 4.7 m/td> | Also called: Thyrotropin |
| Free thyroxine (FT4) | 9.0 - 24 pm/td> | |
| Free triiodothyronine (FT3) | 2.5 - 5.3 pm/td> | |
| Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) | 1.3 - 15 pm/td> | |
| Cortisol (0830 h) | 250 - 850 nm/td> | Cortisol levels are higher in the morning than at night. |
| Cortisol (1630 h) | 110 - 390 nm/td> | |
| Prolactin (male) | <450 m/td> | |
| (female) | <580 m/td> | |
| Testosterone (male) | 8 - 38 nm/td> | |
| (male prepuberty) | 0.1 - 0.5 nm/td> | |
| (female) | 0.3 - 2.5 nm/td> | |
Haematology
Red blood cells
| Haemoglobin (Hb) (male) | 130 - 180/td> | Higher in neonates, lower in children. |
| (female) | 115 - 160/td> | Sex difference negligible until adulthood. |
| Haematocrit (Hct) (male) | 0.38 - 0.52 | |
| (female) | 0.35 - 0.47 | |
| Mean cell volume (MCV) | 80 - 98 fL | |
| Mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) | 26 - 34 pg | |
| Red cell count (male) | 4.5 - 6.5 x1012 | |
| (female) | 3.8 - 5.8 x1012 | |
| Reticulocytes | 10 - 100 x109 | |
Erythrocyte
sedimentation rate (ESR) | | |
White blood cells
| Total white blood cells | 4.0 - 11.0 x109| Higher in neonates and infants. | |
| Neutrophils | 2.0 - 7.5 x109 | |
| Lymphocytes | 1.0 - 4.0 x109 | |
| Monocytes | 0.0 - 0.8 x109 | |
| Eosinophils | 0.0 - 0.5 x109 | |
| Basophils | 0.0 - 0.2 x109 | |
Coagulation
| Prothrombin time (PT) | 7 - 10 s | |
| INR | 0.8 - 1.2 | The INR is a corrected ratio of a patients PT to normal |
| Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) | 29 - 41 s | |
| Thrombin clotting time (TCT) | 11 - 18 s | |
| Fibrinogen | 1.8 - 4.0/td> | |
| Bleeding time | 2 - 8 minutes | |
Immunology
| Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) | | |
| Extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) | | |
Serology
