Understanding Blood Test Results

Blood test is a common diagnostic test with the help of which a physician can analyze the health condition of a person. A blood test helps to determine the mineral content, physiological state, organ function, biochemical state, etc. Almost every blood test report provides the normal range values of a particular blood component. But, only knowing these normal ranges is not helpful and one should be able to interpret the blood test results.

How to Understand Results of Blood Tests

Understanding the results of a blood test, is nothing but knowing what high and low values of a particular blood component mean. Given below are short interpretations of the results of different blood tests.

Blood Tests for Thyroid

Blood tests for the thyroid gland play an important role in determining whether the person is suffering from some thyroid problems like hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Physicians recommend a thyroid test, when the patient shows symptoms of any one of the above mentioned thyroid problems. The blood tests for thyroid, determines levels of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), T4 (Thyroxine) and T3 (Triiodothyronine). These are thyroid hormones which are basically responsible for regulating metabolism of the body. If the thyroid results show normal levels of these hormones then the thyroid gland is functioning properly. Any fluctuation in the levels of these thyroid hormones can indicate serious health problems. The table given provides different results of a thyroid test.

TSH	T3	T4	Conclusion
High	Normal	Normal	Hypothyroidism (Mild)
High	Low	Normal or Low	Hypothyroidism
Low	Normal	Normal	Hyperthyroidism (Mild)
Low	High or Normal	High or Normal	Hyperthyroidism
Low	Low or Normal	Low or Normal	Rare pituitary (secondary) hypothyroidism, Non-thyroidal illness

Blood Tests for Complete Blood Counts

A complete blood count is a very important test that helps in diagnosing various health problems. CBC is a common blood test which is taken for general health check up and it gives the amount of blood components, like the WBC (White Blood Cells), RBC (Red Blood Cells) and platelets. The CBC also finds out the amount of hemoglobin present in the blood, which is basically the amount of oxygen carrying protein present in the blood. Other readings included in the CBC are, WBC differential, hematocrit, MCV, MCHC and RDW. There are 5 different types of WBCs and the WBC differential gives number of each type of WBC present in the blood. Hematocrit is the percentage of RBC present in a given volume of blood. MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) is nothing but the average size of the RBCs. MCH stands for Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin, which gives the average amount of oxygen carrying hemoglobin inside a RBC. Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) gives the average concentration of hemoglobin in a RBC. RDW which stands for Red Cell Distribution, gives the variation in the size of RBCs. The table given explains what can the increased or decreased amount of CBC results indicate.

CBC Test	Low	High
WBC	Leukopenia, Bone marrow failure, Disease of the liver or spleen, Autoimmune/collagen-vascular diseases	Infection, Inflammation, Leukemia, Mental or Physical stress
RBC	Anemia, Blood loss, Hemolysis, Autoimmune/collagen-vascular diseases, Erythropoietin deficiency, Leukemia, Nutritional deficiencies	Dehydration, Kidney disease, Pulmonary fibrosis, Congenital heart disease
Hemoglobin	Anemia, Blood loss, Hemolysis, Autoimmune/collagen-vascular diseases, Erythropoietin deficiency, Leukemia, Nutritional deficiencies	Dehydration, Kidney disease, Pulmonary fibrosis, Congenital heart disease
Hematocrit	Anemia, Blood loss, Hemolysis, Autoimmune/collagen-vascular diseases, Erythropoietin deficiency, Leukemia, Nutritional deficiencies	Dehydration, Kidney disease, Pulmonary fibrosis, Congenital heart disease
MCV	Iron deficiency, Thalassemia	B12 deficiency, Folate deficiency
MCH	Iron deficiency, Thalassemia	B12 deficiency, Folate deficiency
Platelet	Thrombocytopenia	Thrombocytosis

Blood Tests for Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

Comprehensive metabolic panel consists of a total of 14 blood tests that measure glucose levels, fluid balance, electrolyte levels and analyze kidney and liver functioning. It is often part of a routine check up and gives the physician an idea of the overall physiology of a person. Glucose, albumin, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, calcium, sodium, potassium, bilirubin, etc. are some of the important blood components measured by a CMP test. Increased and decreased levels of any of these can indicate some health problem. The table given below specifies what are the interpretations of increased and decreased levels of these components of blood.

Component	Low	High
Glucose	Hypoglycemia	Hyperglycemia
Calcium	Hypocalcemia	Hypercalcemia
Sodium	Side effect of medication	Hypernatremia, Risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
Potassium	Hypokalemia, Kidney problem	Hyperkalemia, Kidney problem
Albumin	Hypoalbuminemia, Low protein diet, Kidney or Liver problem	Hyperalbuminemia, Dehydration, Vitamin A deficiency
BUN	Liver problem	Kidney problem, Dehydration, Congestive heart failure
Creatinine	Decreased muscle mass	Kidney dysfunction
Bilirubin	Not cause of concern	Jaundice

Understanding the results of a blood test is quite simple when you are aware of the normal ranges of a particular blood element. A blood test is a very simple and useful diagnostic test that can help in diagnosing a number of health problems. Now, when you know what are the interpretations of various blood test results, do not hesitate and clear your doubts when you make your next appointment with your physician.