Table: Blood Tests* - Merck Manuals Consumer Version

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Blood Tests*

Test	Reference Range or Threshold (Conventional Units^†)
Acidity (pH)	7.35–7.45
Alcohol (ethanol)	0 mg/dL (more than 0.1 mg/dL usually indicates intoxication)
Ammonia	15–50 units/L
Amylase	53–123 units/L
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA)^‡	0 (negative result)
Ascorbic acid	0.4–1.5 mg/dL
Bicarbonate (carbon dioxide content)	18–23 mEq/L
Bilirubin	Direct: Up to 0.4 mg/dL
	Total: Up to 1.0 mg/dL
Blood volume	8.5–9.1% of body weight
Calcium	8.5–10.5 mg/dL (slightly higher in children)
Carbon dioxide pressure (expressed as a comparison with how high the level of mercury [Hg] rises in a tube due to air pressure at sea level)	35–45 mm Hg
Carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide in hemoglobin)	Less than 5% of total hemoglobin
CD4 cell count	500–1500 cells/μL
Ceruloplasmin	15–60 mg/dL
Chloride	98–106 mEq/L
Complete blood cell count (CBC)	See individual tests: Hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, platelet count, and white blood cell count
Copper	70–150 μg/dL
Creatine kinase (CK), also called creatine phosphokinase (CPK)	Male: 38–174 units/L
	Female: 96–140 units/L
Creatine kinase (CK) in its different forms (isoenzymes)	5% or less of CK-MB (the form that occurs mainly in heart muscle)
Creatinine	0.6–1.2 mg/dL
Electrolytes	See individual tests: Calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and sodium (which are routinely tested)
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)	Male: 1–13 mm/hour
	Female: 1–20 mm/hour
Glucose	Fasting: 70–110 mg/dL
Hematocrit	Male: 45–52%
	Female: 37–48%
Hemoglobin	Male: 13–18 g/dL
	Female: 12–16 g/dL
Iron	60–160 μg/dL (higher in males)
Iron-binding capacity	250–460 μg/dL
Lactate (lactic acid)	Venous: 4.5–19.8 mg/dL
	Arterial: 4.5–14.4 mg/dL
Lactic dehydrogenase	50–150 units/L
Lead	20 μg/dL or less (much lower in children)
Lipase	10–150 units/L
Lipids:
Cholesterol, total	Less than 225 mg/dL (for age 40–49 yr; increases with age)
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)	30–70 mg/dL
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)	60 mg/dL
Triglycerides	40–200 mg/dL (higher in males)
Liver function tests	Include bilirubin (total), phosphatase (alkaline), protein (total and albumin), transaminases (alanine and aspartate), prothrombin
Magnesium	1.5–2.0 mg/dL
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)	27–32 pg/cell
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC)	32–36% hemoglobin/cell
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)	76–100 cubic μm
Osmolality	280–296 mOsm/kg plasma
Oxygen pressure (expressed as a comparison with the level of mercury [Hg] in a tube, which results from air pressure at sea level)	83–100 mm Hg
Oxygen saturation (arterial)	96–100%
Partial thromboplastin time (PTT)	30–45 seconds
Phosphatase (alkaline)	50–160 units/L (higher in infants and adolescents, lower in females)
Phosphorus	3.0–4.5 mg/dL
Platelet count	150,000–350,000/mL
Potassium	3.5–5.0 mEq/L
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)	0–4 ng/mL (increases with age)
Protein:
Total	6.0–8.4 g/dL
Albumin	3.5–5.0 g/dL
Globulin	2.3–3.5 g/dL
Prothrombin time (PT)	10–13 seconds
Red blood cell (RBC) count	4.2–5.9 million/mL
Sodium	135–145 mEq/L
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)	0.5–5.0 m units/L
Transaminases (liver enzymes):
Alanine (ALT)	1–21 units/L
Aspartate (AST)	7–27 units/L
Troponin in its different forms:
I	Less than 1.6 ng/mL
T	Less than 0.1 ng/mL
Urea nitrogen (BUN)	7–18 mg/dL
Uric acid	3.0–7.0 mg/dL
Vitamin A^§	30–65 μg/dL
White blood cell (WBC) count	4,300–10,800 /mL
*Blood can be tested for many other substances as well. ^†Units are explained in Appendix I. Conventional units can be converted to international units by using a conversion factor. International units (IU), a different system, are sometimes used by laboratories. ^‡ Other antibodies can also be identified. ^§Other vitamins can also be measured.

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Blood Tests*