What are normal lab values?

Lab values, simply put, are the meaning of test results. Normal lab values, on the other hand, are lab values that fall within what’s considered the normal range by governing health agencies and industry professionals. When your test results show that your lab values fall within the normal range, this means that the organ relating to or producing the sample being checked is perfectly healthy. The test results for a particular sample may pose risks, however, if they’ve been found out to be higher or lower than the normal lab values.

An example of a normal value range is 12 to 15 g/dl (grams per deciliter) for the hemoglobin count for women, while 14 to 17 g/dl for men. Low values could mean that the person has anemia. But the presence of the symptoms of anemia, such as fatique, tachycaria, tachypnea and dyspnea, also have to be checked and ruled out first before arriving at this conclusion. The person’s diet and activities would also be checked and evaluated, as well as the recent medications he or she may have taken. Further testing may be requested to determine the patient’s speculated illness due to the meaning of the results.

Normal lab values are quite esoteric for the average person, unless he or she is familiar with the normal lab values for various factors and substances, or may have taken a medical coding or transcription course. Aside from the common abbreviations, the lab values also have a corresponding scientific notation, which may be indecipherable for the average person. 

Normal lab values are variable and may differ slightly among laboratories. Note that some labs make use of different standards of measurement or samples. If you’re a little confused about your results, talk it out with your physician. Your doctor would be able to give you an accurate description of your test results as well as the things you need to do about it.

Still curious about normal lab values? Check out our partial list of normal lab values here.

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