how to interpret your lab results
DESCRIPTION
How to Interpret Your Lab Results. Presenting. CBC: Complete Blood Count Serum Chemistries Liver Function Tests Lipids/Glucose T cell subsets Viral load. Elements of the CBC. RBC’s: Red Blood Cells WBC’s: White Blood Cells Platelets Serum Plasma. Stem Cells. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
How to Interpret Your Lab Results
Presenting
CBC: Complete Blood Count
Serum Chemistries Liver Function
Tests Lipids/Glucose T cell subsets Viral load
Elements of the CBC
RBC’s: Red Blood Cells
WBC’s: White Blood Cells
Platelets
Serum Plasma
Stem Cells Stem cells are
young cells All blood cells
start as stem cells They get
“drafted” as RBCs, WBCs or platelets depending on the body’s needs
Not all blood cells are the same….
Red Blood Cell Tests Erythrocytes “cytes” = cells Shaped like a bagel with
hole covered Red Blood Cell count:
total number of red blood cells
Hemoglobin (HGB): protein in RBC’s that actually carries 02
Red Blood Cell Tests
Hematocrit (HCT): measures the % of blood volume taken up by RBC’s
Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV): average volume (size) of RBC’s
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH): amt/concentration of hgb in average cell Platelets: help stop bleeding by forming
clots. Low plt count: thrombocytopenia
Normal RBC values RBC for males: 4.5-5.5 RBC for females: 4.0-4.9 Hgb (males): 13.5-16.5 Hgb (females): 12-15 Hct (males): 41-50 Hct (females): 36-44
Normal RBC Values MCV: 80-100 MCH: 26-34 Plt: 100,000- 450, 000
White Blood Cells
WBC’s are fighter cells Some make antibodies Some fight directly Divided into types by
how they look and what they do
WBC Differential (Different Types of WBC’s)
5 types of white blood cells neutrophils fight bacterial infections; low count=neutropenia
(HIV, some meds can cause neutropenia) lymphocytes: 2 types: T cells attack + Kill germs/regulate immune
system need to know lymphocyte count to calculate T cells
B cells make antibodies
More Types of WBC’s
Monocytes or Macrophages fight infections by eating germs;high count
usually signifies infection
Eosinophils involved with allergies and reaction to
parasites
Basophils Seem to be involved in long term allergic
response; not well understood
Normal WBC values WBC: 4,500- 10, 000 Neutrophils: 54-62% Lymphocytes: 24-44 Monocytes: 3-6 Eosinophils: 0-3 Basophils: 0-1
***Neutrophils Neutrophils make up majority of
WBCs. They are your “soldiers”. Neutrophils have “polys” and “bands.”
“Polys” are mature neutrophils “bands” are immature neutrophils
Blood Chemistry Tests
Electrolytes: related to fluid balance
Sodium Potassium Chloride Calcium
Normal Electrolytes values Sodium: 135-145 Potassium: 3.5-5.2 Chloride: 95-107 Calcium: 8.8-10.3
Kidney Function Tests Blood Urea
Nitrogen (BUN) nitrogen in blood waste that is normally
removed by kidneys
Creatinine waste product; most
direct sign of kidney function
Kidney Normal Values BUN: 7-20 Creatinine: 0.5-1.4
Liver Function Tests
High enzymes can signal liver damage
(meds, hepatitis, alcohol, drugs) ALT (SGPT) AST (SGOT) Bilirubin yellow fluid produced when RBC’s break down
(liver disease; indinavir and atazanavir can elevate bili) Alkaline Phosphatase LDH
Liver Normal Values Bilirubin: 0.1-1.2 Alkaline phosphatase: 33-131 LDH: 56-194
Other Tests Albumin: major protein in blood
maintains balance in cells;carries nutrients;can affect other lab tests
Erythrocte Sedimentation Rate:
how quickly RBC’s settle in a tube of blood; high sed rate=inflammation
Normal Values Albumin: 3.2-5
Fat in Blood: Lipids
Fat is a source of energy Carries some vitamins Helps make hormones Helps make cell membranes Lubricates some body parts Fats are carried wrapped in
lipoproteins Triglycerides most common, then
cholesterol
So what’s the problem?
Small lipoproteins (LDL or VLDL) carry fat from liver to rest of body
Too much of these cause fat build-up on walls of arteries
Lipids
Cholesterol : <200
HDL (good cholesterol) : 30-70
LDL (bad cholesterol) : 65-180
Triglycerides : <160
Blood Sugar
Glucose provides energy High blood sugar could signal diabetes Insulin is produced in pancreas and
helps glucose move from blood to cells Some protease inhibitors can cause
elevation of blood sugar by inhibiting insulin
Types of glucose tests Random Blood sugar (not fasting) Fasting Blood sugar (nothing to eat or drink except H2O
for 8 hrs) Glucose Tolerance Test (Starts fasting, then given sweet
drink and measured over time) Hemoglobin A1c (Measures glucose control over 3
month)
Normal Glucose Glucose: up to 140 Glucose (Fasting): 60-110 Hemoglobin A1C: 6-8