UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTO N COLLEGE OF M EDICINE
DEPARTMENT OF BIOMED ICAL SCIENCES PATHOLOGY CORE #
REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE VALUES FOR COMMON LABORATORY TESTS
More comprehensive reference range information can be found at [Link] and
[Link]
BASIC METABOLIC PANEL (BMP) LIPID PANEL
Glucose (fasting) 70-99 mg/dL Cholesterol, Total <200 mg/dL
Sodium (Na+) 136-145 mEq/L Triglycerides <150 mg/dL
Potassium (K+) 3.5-5.0 mEq/L (Optimal <100 mg/dL)
Chloride (Cl-) 98-106 mEq/L High-density lipoprotein (HDL) >40 mg/dL (M); >50 (F)
Bicarbonate 23-28 mEq/L Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) < 100 mg/dL
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) 8-20 mg/dL
Creatinine 0.7-1.3 mg/dL (M) COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC)
0.5-1.1 mg/dL (F) WBC 4.5-11 x 109 /L
Calcium 8.6-10.2 mg/dL Hemoglobin 14-17 g/dL (M)
12-16 g/dL (F)
COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL (CMP = BMP Plus) Hematocrit 41-51% (M); 36-47% (F)
Total protein 5.5-9.0 g/dL Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 80-98 fL
Albumin 3.5-5.5 g/dL Platelet count 150,000-450,000/mm³
Bilirubin 0.3-1.2 mg/dL
Alkaline phosphatase 30-120 U/L WBC DIFFERENTIAL COUNT
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 10-40 U/L Segmented neutrophils 50-70%
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 10-40 U/L Bands 0-5%
Lymphocytes 30-45%
INFLAMMATION/SEPSIS Monocytes 0-6%
C - Reactive Protein (CRP) <10 mg/L Eosinophils 0-3%
Sedimentation Rate (ESR) <20 mm/hr Basophils 0-1%
Ferritin 15-200 ng/mL
Lactic Acid 0.7-2.1 mmol/L ANEMIA EVALUATION
Procalcitonin <0.15 ng/mL Iron 50-150 g/dL
Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) 80-225 U/L Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) 250-310 g/dL
Vitamin B12 200-800 pg/mL
ENDOCRINE/METABOLIC/RENAL Folate 1.8-9.0 ng/mL
Hemoglobin A1c < 5.7% (prediabetes 5.7-6.4%) Reticulocyte count 0.5-1.5%
Urine Albumin/Creatinine Ratio <30 mg/g Lead (CDC/NIOSH) < 5 g/dL
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)
>90 mL/min/1.73 m2 COAGULATION
Creatinine Clearance 75-125 mL/minute/1.73 m2 Prothrombin time (PT) 11-15 sec
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) 0.5-5.0 U/mL International Normalized Ratio (INR) 0.9-1.1
Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) 25-35 sec
ARTERIAL BLOOD GAS (room air) D-dimer <0.5 g/mL
pH 7.38-7.44 Fibrinogen 150-350 mg/dL
pO2 75-100 mm Hg
pCO2 38-42 mm Hg URINALYSIS
Bicarbonate (HCO3) 23-26 mEq/L pH 4.5-8
O2 Saturation >=95% Specific gravity <1.030
Glucose, Blood, Ketones, Negative
CARDIAC MARKERS Protein, Bilirubin, Leukocyte
Troponin I <0.04 ng/mL Esterase, Nitrite
B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) <100 pg/mL #Richard W. Brown, M.D. Kathleen A. Jones, M.D. and Daniel Rosen, M.D.
ESSENTIAL CONCEPTS FOR INTERPRETATION OF LABORATORY VALUES
• These references ranges apply to healthy adults. Reference ranges will vary by age and patient population, particularly in pediatric and pregnant patients.
For complete listings of reference ranges in these patient populations go to: [Link] and
[Link]
• Reference ranges (RR) are determined by each laboratory and will vary depending on instrumentation and the laboratory’s patient population; the ranges
above are a general guideline. Also, RR are defined as values obtained in 95% of normal people; 5% of normal people will have “abnormal” values
• If a patient’s test result does not match the clinical scenario, repeat the test with a new specimen and ask the patient questions regarding use of dietary
supplements or unusual dietary habits, as these may affect laboratory values.