DDX LAB VALUES Flashcards
Hematocrit
38-54% men, 36%-47% Women
High values
High-altitude areas, chronic smoker, dehy- dration (false positive), polycythemia vera, eryth- ropoietin (Epogen)
Low Values
Anemia, blood loss, nutritional deficiency (iron, vitamin B12, and folate), chemotherapy, cancer
(bone marrow), kidney failure
Hemoglobin
14–18g/dl (men) (Hb)
12–16 g/dl (women)
12–14 g/dl (children)
14.5–24.5 g/dl (newborns)
High Values
High-altitude areas, dehydration (false positive), chronic smoker, polycythemia vera, emphysema, erythropoietin (Epogen)
Low Values
Loss of blood (injury, surgery, ulcers, and cancer); chemo- therapy; iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiency; thalassemia; sickle cell anemia; bone marrow complications
Erythrocytes (RBCs)
- 5–6 × 104 (men)
- 3–5.5 × 104 (women)
High Values
Dehydration, polycythemia vera, kidney cancer, kidney transplant, heart failure, chronic obstruc- tive pulmonary disease (COPD), congenital heart disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, sleep apnea
Low Values
Anemia; bone marrow com- plications; bleeding; multiple myeloma; copper, folate, and vitamin B6 and B12 deficiency; leukemia; pregnancy; RBC destruction
Reticulocytes
0–1% of RBCs
High Values
Kidney disease producing erythropoietin, hemolytic anemia, erythroblastosis fettles
Low Values
Bone marrow failure; liver dis- ease (cirrhosis); vitamin B12, iron, or folate deficiency; kidney disease; radiation therapy
Leukocytes, total
5,000–10,000 cells/ mm3
High Values
Bacterial infection, smoking, inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), leukemia, tissue damage, some drugs (e.g., albuterol, lithium, and corticosteroids)
Low Values Some drugs (e.g., chemother- apeutics, clozapine, antibiotics, and diuretics), bone marrow problems, autoimmune diseases (e.g., systemic lupus erythema- tosus), liver or spleen disease, radiotherapy, viral infections
Mean cor- puscular vol- ume (MCV)
80–94 μm3
High Values
Pernicious anemia, alcoholism, vitamin B12 or folate deficiency
Low Values
Iron-deficiency anemia, blood loss, thalassemia, chronic disease
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH)
27–32 pg
High Values
Macrocytic anemia
Low Values
Chronic blood loss, microcytic anemia
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
33.4–35.5 g/dl
Sickle cell anemia
Low valuee
Microcytic and macrocytic anemias
Bicarbonate (carbon diox- ide) (total)
18–30mEq/l
Low Value
Metabolic alkalosis
High Value Metabolic acidosis (kidney disease, liver failure, diarrhea)
Calcium (total)
9–11mg/dl; 4.5–5.5mEq/l
Low Value
Hyperparathyroidism (tumor), sarcoidosis, mul- tiple myeloma, excessive vitamin D intake, Paget’s disease
High Value
Hypothyroidism, osteomalacia
Chloride
98–106mEq/l
High Value
Metabolic acidosis, renal tubular acidosis
Low Value
Addison’s disease, heart fail- ure, syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)
Magnesium
1.8–3.6 mg/dl; 1.5–3.0mEq/l
High Values
Addison’s disease, chronic renal failure, dehydration, diabetic acidosis
Low
Alcoholism, chronic diarrhea, hypoparathyroidism, ulcerative colitis, liver cirrhosis
Phosphorus
3–4.5 mg/dl; 1.8–2.3mEq/l (adults)
High
Liver disease, renal fail- ure, hypoparathyroidism
Low
Hyperparathyroidism
Potassium
3.5–5.5 mEq/l
High
Kidney failure, Addison’s disease, angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs; anti- hypertensive), diuretics, drug abusers, type 1 diabetes
Low Eating disorders (bulimia—vomiting), sweating, chronic diarrhea
Sodium
135–147 mEq/l
High
Cushing’s syndrome, hyperaldosteronism, increased fluid loss (vomiting, diarrhea), excessive dietary salt, NSAIDs, corticosteroids, laxatives, lithium, oral contraceptives
Low
Heart failure, burns, vomiting, dehydration, liver cirrhosis, syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), diuretics
Alkaline phosphatase
50–160 U/l
High Value
Paget’s disease, biliary obstruction, osteoblastic bone tumors, hyperparathyroidism
Low Value
Protein deficiency
Amylase
53–123 U/l
High Values
Acute pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, intestinal/bile duct blockage, perforated ulcer
Low Values
Toxemia of pregnancy
creatine kinase (CK) or creatine phosphoki- nase (CPK)
38–174 U/l 96–140 U/l
10–150 U/l
0–30 U/l 0–40 U/l
(males); (females)
High Values
Bowel obstruction, duodenal ulcer, pancreatic cancer
Low Values
Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis
Lipase
10–150 U/l
High Values
Liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, acute myocardial infarction, alcoholism
Low Values
Normal results
ALT (SGPT) AST (SGOT)
0–30 U/l 0–40 U/l
High
Recent myocardial infarction, liver disease, hepatitis, skeletal muscle trauma
Low
Normal
Albumin
3.5–5.5g/dl
High Value
Dehydration, high protein diet
Low Value
Liver disease, kidney disease
Bilirubin
0.1mg/dl
High
Cirrhosis, hepatitis, pancreatic cancer
Low
No concern
otal cholesterol (depends on age)
<200mg/dl
High Value
Hereditary, diet, risk of heart disease
Normal
Creatinine
0.5–1.4mg/dl
High Values
Chronic kidney disease
Low
Normal
Glucose, fasting serum
65–99mg/dl
High
Diabeeteus
Low
Normal
Triglycerides
40–200mg/dl
Risk of heart disease
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
6–20mg/dl
High
Severe dehydration, kidney disease, heart failure, GI bleeding
Low
Low protein diet, malnutrition, over-hydration
Uric acid
2.0–4.0mg/dl
High Values
Diabetes, alcoholism, renal failure, lead poisoning
Low Values
Syndrome of inappropriate diuretic hormone (SIADH), Wilson’s disease, Fanconi syndrome
