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)
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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
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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.
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Interpretation of common laboratory values