Appendix D Interpretation of common laboratory values Therapeutic range “High” value “Low” value Hematocrit (HCT) 38–54% (men) 36–47% (women) High-altitude areas, chronic smoker, dehydration (false positive), polycythemia vera, erythropoietin (Epogen) Anemia, blood loss, nutritional deficiency (iron, vitamin B12, and folate), chemotherapy, cancer (bone marrow), kidney failure Hemoglobin (Hb) 14–18 g/dl (men) 12–16 g/dl (women) 12–14 g/dl (children) 14.5–24.5 g/dl (newborns) High-altitude areas, dehydration (false positive), chronic smoker, polycythemia vera, emphysema, erythropoietin (Epogen) Loss of blood (injury, surgery, ulcers, and cancer); chemotherapy; iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiency; thalassemia; sickle cell anemia; bone marrow complications Dehydration, polycythemia vera, kidney cancer, kidney transplant, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congenital heart disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, sleep apnea Anemia; bone marrow complications; bleeding; multiple myeloma; copper, folate, and vitamin B6 and B12 deficiency; leukemia; pregnancy; RBC destruction Reticulocytes 0–1% of RBCs Kidney disease producing erythropoietin, hemolytic anemia, erythroblastosis fetalis Bone marrow failure; liver disease (cirrhosis); vitamin B12, iron, or folate deficiency; kidney disease; radiation therapy Leukocytes, total Bacterial infection, smoking, inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), leukemia, tissue damage, some drugs (e.g., albuterol, lithium, and corticosteroids) Some drugs (e.g., chemotherapeutics, clozapine, antibiotics, and diuretics), bone marrow problems, autoimmune diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus), liver or spleen disease, radiotherapy, viral infections Whole blood Complete blood count (CBC) Erythrocytes (RBCs) 4.5–6 × 104 (men) 4.3–5.5 × 104 (women) 5,000–10,000 cells/ mm3 The Dentist’s Quick Guide to Medical Conditions, First Edition. Mea A. Weinberg, Stuart L. Segelnick, Joseph S. Insler, with Samuel Kramer. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 270 Therapeutic range “High” value Myelocytes 0; 0% of leukocytes Juvenile neutrophils 0–100; 0–1% of leukocytes Eosinophils, neutrophils, and basophils: chronic myeloid leukemia Band neutrophils 0–500; 0–5% of leukocytes Segmented neutrophils Lymphocytes 2500–6000; 40–60% of leukocytes Eosinophils 1000–4000; 20–40% of leukocytes Basophils Monocytes 271 “Low” value 50–300; 0–5% of leukocytes 0–100; 0–1% of leukocytes 200–800; 4–8% of leukocytes Platelets 150,000–400,000 cells/mm3 Hemolytic anemia, iron-deficiency anemia, splenectomy, cancer, von Willebrand disease Chemotherapy/radiation, cancer of bone marrow RBC Measurements Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 80–94 µm3 Pernicious anemia, alcoholism, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency Iron-deficiency anemia, blood loss, thalassemia, chronic disease Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) 27–32 pg Macrocytic anemia Chronic blood loss, microcytic anemia Sickle cell anemia Microcytic and macrocytic anemias Mean 33.4–35.5 g/dl corpuscular hemoglobin concentration Electrolytes Bicarbonate (carbon dioxide) (total) 18–30 mEq/l Metabolic alkalosis Metabolic acidosis (kidney disease, liver failure, diarrhea) Calcium (total) 9–11 mg/dl; 4.5–5.5 mEq/l Hyperparathyroidism (tumor), sarcoidosis, multiple myeloma, excessive vitamin D intake, Paget’s disease Hypothyroidism, osteomalacia Chloride 98–106 mEq/l Metabolic acidosis, renal tubular acidosis Addison’s disease, heart failure, syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) (continued) 10.1002/9781118991473.app4, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118991473.app4 by INASP/HINARI - MAURITIUS, Wiley Online Library on [28/06/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License Interpretation of common laboratory values Therapeutic range “High” value “Low” value Magnesium 1.8–3.6 mg/dl; 1.5–3.0 mEq/l Addison’s disease, chronic Alcoholism, chronic diarrhea, renal failure, dehydration, hypoparathyroidism, ulcerative diabetic acidosis colitis, liver cirrhosis Phosphorus 3–4.5 mg/dl; Liver disease, renal fail1.8–2.3 mEq/l (adults) ure, hypoparathyroidism Hyperparathyroidism 4–6.5 mg/dl; 2.3– 3.8 mEq/l (children) Potassium 3.5–5.5 mEq/l Kidney failure, Addison’s disease, angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs; antihypertensive), diuretics, drug abusers, type 1 diabetes Eating disorders (bulimia—vomiting), sweating, chronic diarrhea Sodium 135–147 mEq/l Cushing’s syndrome, hyperaldosteronism, increased fluid loss (vomiting, diarrhea), excessive dietary salt, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, laxatives, lithium, oral contraceptives Heart failure, burns, vomiting, dehydration, liver cirrhosis, syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), diuretics Alkaline phosphatase 50–160 U/l Paget’s disease, biliary obstruction, osteoblastic bone tumors, hyperparathyroidism Protein deficiency Amylase 53–123 U/l Acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, intestinal/bile duct blockage, perforated ulcer Toxemia of pregnancy creatine kinase (CK) or creatine phosphokinase (CPK) 38–174 U/l (males); Lipase 10–150 U/l ALT (SGPT) 0–30 U/l AST (SGOT) 0–40 U/l Enzymes Bowel obstruction, Crohn’s disease, celiac duodenal ulcer, pancreatic disease, cystic fibrosis 96–140 U/l (females) cancer Liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, acute myocardial infarction, alcoholism Normal results Recent myocardial infarction, liver disease, hepatitis, skeletal muscle trauma Normal results 10.1002/9781118991473.app4, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118991473.app4 by INASP/HINARI - MAURITIUS, Wiley Online Library on [28/06/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 272 The dentist’s quick guide to medical conditions 273 Therapeutic range “High” value “Low” value Albumin 3.5–5.5 g/dl Dehydration, high protein diet Liver disease, kidney disease Bilirubin 0.1 mg/dl Cirrhosis, hepatitis, pancreatic cancer No concerns Total cholesterol (depends on age) <200 mg/dl Hereditary, diet, risk of heart disease Normal results Creatinine 0.5–1.4 mg/dl Chronic kidney disease Normal results Glucose, 65–99 mg/dl fasting serum Diabetes Normal results Triglycerides 40–200 mg/dl Risk of heart disease Normal results Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 6–20 mg/dl Severe dehydration, kidney disease, heart failure, GI bleeding Low protein diet, malnutrition, over-hydration Uric acid 2.0–4.0 mg/dl Diabetes, alcoholism, renal failure, lead poisoning Syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone (SIADH), Wilson’s disease, Fanconi syndrome Others Data from: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/ICECI/Inspections/IOM/UCM135835.pdf; http://www. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/ Note: The normal ranges in each laboratory depend on the local population, test methodology and conditions of assay, units, and a variety of other circumstances. The ranges above are typical, but the normal values established for each laboratory should be used for most purposes. 10.1002/9781118991473.app4, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118991473.app4 by INASP/HINARI - MAURITIUS, Wiley Online Library on [28/06/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License Interpretation of common laboratory values