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creation date: 2025-06-05 14:28
tags: Anatomy & Physiology

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Normal Lab Values

CBC and differential

CBC	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
WBC	4	11	x10^9 cells/L
RBC	4.5	6	x10^12 cells/L
Hemoglobin (Hb)	115 (F), 125 (M)	155 (F), 170 (M)	g/L
Hematocrit (Hc)	0.4	0.5	L/L
MCV	80	100	fL
MCH	27.5	33	pg
RDW	11	14.5	%
Platelet count	150	400	x10^9 /L
Reticulocyte count	20	100	x10^9 /L

Although normal platelet is 150-400, it is not necessarily concerning unless <50 or >1000.

Leukocyte	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Lymphocytes	1 (not important)	4	x10^9/L
Neutrophils	2	7.5	x10^9/L
Basophils	0	0.1	x10^9/L
Monocytes	0.1	1	x10^9/L
Eosinophils	0	0.5	x10^9/L

Blasts is not normal to have in the blood, however, some may be normal due to certain drugs, infections, stress response, etc. Anything >1 or >20% of total WBC is urgent (acute leukemia).

Electrolytes

Basic lytes

Electrolyte	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Sodium	135	145	mmol/L
Potassium	3.5	5.0	mmol/L
Chloride	96	106	mmol/L
Bicarbonate	22	29	mmol/L

Extended lytes

Electrolyte	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Calcium	2.12	2.52	mmol/L
Magnesium	0.74	1.03	mmol/L
Phosphate	0.81	1.58	mmol/L

Always order creatinine with electrolytes

Lipid Panel

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Total cholesterol	3.5	5.2	mmol/L
HDL	1.3 (F), 1.0 (M)	-	mmol/L
non-HDL	-	4.5	mmol/L
Triglycerides	-	1.7	mmol/L
LDL	-	3.5 (high risk), 5 (low risk)	mmol/L

Renal function tests

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Creatinine	50	100	mcmol/L
GFR	90	-	mL/min/1.73m2
ACR	-	3.0
Note: GFR not concerning until ≤60

Liver and Pancreatic Studies

Note that reference ranges vary based on laboratory. Below are typical values.

Liver enzymes

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
ALT	4	36	IU/L
AST	5	30	IU/L
ALP	30	120	IU/L
GGT	6	50	IU/L
Note: typically not a concern until 3 times upper normal limit

Liver function tests (synthetic)

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Direct bilirubin (conj.)	0	6	mcmol/L
Prothrombin time (PT)	10.9	12.5	s
Albumin	35	50	g/L
Total protein	60	80	g/L
Lactate dehydrogenase	50	150	IU/L

Pancreas

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Amylase	25	115	IU/L
Lipase	73	393	IU/L

Iron Studies

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Ferritin	11 (F), 24 (M)	307 (F), 336 (M)	mcg/L
Serum Iron	9 (F), 12 (M)	30 (F), 31 (M)	mcg/L
TIBC	45	81	mcmol/L

Thyroid

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
TSH	0.4	5	mIU/L
T3	1.3	3.1	nmol/L
T4	12	22	pmol/L

Glucose

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Fasting glucose	4.0	6.0	mmol/L
Random glucose	4.0	11.0	mmol/L
HbA1C	4.8	6.0	mmol/L

Misc Blood Chemistries

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
CRP		10	mg/L
ESR
Creatine kinase	30	190 (female), 250 (male)	IU/L
Lactate	0.5	2.5	mmol/L
LDH	100	205	IU/L
D-dimer		600	ug/L

Blood gases

Arterial blood gas

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
pH	7.38	7.46
PaCO2	35	45	mmHg
HCO3	22	29	mEq/L
PaO2	83	116	mmHg
Base excess	-2.5	2.5	mmol/L
Anion gap	5	12	mmol/L
Osmolality	275	295	mmol/kg

Urinalysis

	Lower limit	Upper limit	Unit
Specific gravity	1.005	1.030
pH	5.0	8.5
Urobilinogen		16	mcmol/L
Albumin-to-creatinine ratio		2.0	g/mol Cr
Osmolality	38	1400	mOsm/kg H2O

Resources

https://mcc.ca/examinations-assessments/resources-to-help-with-exam-prep/normal-lab-values/