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UNDERSTANDING COMMON LAB VALUES
We may decide to do urine and blood tests if you are at risk for having early kidney disease or kidney failure. These lab tests help us understand the amount of function your kidneys still have. Some of the tests check to see if your cholesterol, blood, minerals, and electrolytes are at a normal level. Using these lab results, we can arrange an individual care plan to keep you healthy and your kidneys working well.
When the lab technician draws your blood into a tube, you may notice it separating into several layers. These layers contain different parts of the blood. Each part has an important job to perform.
Here are some of those parts:
- Red Blood Cells - Carry oxygen
- White Blood Cells - Fight infection and disease
- Platelets - Help the blood to clot
- Plasma - Light yellow fluid that the blood cells float in
- Serum - Fluid that remains after blood has clotted in a tube
- Whole Blood - All of the above
TERMS YOU MIGHT HEAR AND WHAT THEY MEAN
Blood Urea Nitrogen (bluhd yoo-ree-uh nahy-truh-juh n)
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Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) is a test done to estimate how well your kidneys are working. Protein that we eat in meat, fish, fowl, and dairy products is filtered by the kidneys. Urea is the end product of the breakdown of this protein so a HIGH BUN may mean that your kidneys are not removing enough waste from your blood.
Normal Range: 5-25mg/100ml
Creatinine (kree-at-n-een)
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Creatinine (Cr) is another waste product found in the blood. It comes from the normal breakdown of muscles during activity. Athletes and people with big muscles make more creatinine. Healthy kidneys remove the creatinine from the blood but when kidneys do not work properly, creatinine builds up in the blood. The creatinine test is a good test to measure how well kidneys are working.
Normal Range: 0.5-1.5 mg/100ml
Sodium (soh-dee-uh m)
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Sodium (Na) is an electrolyte that is very important in regulating your body's fluid and water. Without the correct balance of Sodium, your muscles won't work correctly and your blood may be too thick or too thin. Too much Sodium can cause swelling of your hands and feet and can also cause high blood pressure. Too little Sodium can cause your red blood cells to break as well as low blood pressure and coma.
Normal Range: 135 - 146 mEq/L
Potassium (puh-tas-ee-uh m)
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Potassium (K+) is another electrolyte that is necessary for normal nerve function and muscle function including the functions of the heart. Kidneys control the level of Potassium in the body. Keeping the right amount of Potassium in the body is very important because too much or too little Potassium can cause death. Potassium is found in many fruits and vegetables like oranges and bananas.
Normal Range: 3.5 - 5.5 mEq/L
Calcium (kal-see-uh m)
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Calcium (Ca) is the electrolyte that you need for muscle action and healthy bones. Calcium comes from dairy products, calcium supplements, and leafy green vegetables. Most of the Calcium in your body is stored in your teeth and bones and a little bit is taken out into the blood stream when we need it. Too little or too much Calcium can make you very sick. It could cause seizures, muscle spasms, and coma. Too little for a long time can damage your bones.
Normal Range: 8.5 - 10.5 mg/100 ml
Phosphorus (fos-fer-uh s)
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Phosphorus (Phos)is an electrolyte, which is essential for energy transfer and bone formation. Phosphorus is in almost any food. Phosphorus in the blood is called Phosphate. Phosphorus is stored in your teeth and bones and a little bit is in your blood. When kidneys fail, blood phosphate levels can go up and this can damage your bones making them weak and brittle.
Normal Range: 3.5 - 5.5 mg/dl
Albumin (al-byoo-muh n)
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Albumin is a protein that helps maintain the fluid in your blood vessels. We test to see if you have albumin in your urine. When kidneys are healthy, the Albumin molecule is too big to pass through into the urine. Damaged kidneys, however, become leaky and let the albumin molecule slip through the tiny blood vessels into the urine. Albumin, or protein, is a very important sign of kidney disease.
Normal Range: 3.6 - 5.0 gm/100 ml
Hemoglobin (hee-muh-gloh-bin)
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Hemoglobin (Hgb) is the part of the red blood cell that carries the oxygen from the lungs to all the vital organs and tissues of the body. It is the iron-containing pigment of the red blood cell.
Normal Range: 11-13 g/100 ml
Parathyroid Hormone (par-uh-thahy-roid hawr-mohn)
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The Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) glands are four little glands that are in your neck. Their job is to make PTH when your calcium levels fall below normal. PTH helps you absorb calcium from the foods and liquids you eat and drink. PTH levels are important to measure because high levels mean your glands are getting bigger and making too much PTH. Your body will try to shut off your PTH glands by pulling calcium from your bones. If not corrected, this can cause your bones to become weak and brittle.
Normal Range: 10/65 pg/ml in healthy people.
Fasting Blood Glucose (fast-ing bluhd gloo-kohs)
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This is a test to measure how much glucose (sugar) is in the blood. High levels of blood sugar after an overnight fast could mean that you have diabetes. Diabetes is the number one reason people have kidney disease.
Normal Range: less than 110
Hemoglobin A1c (hee-muh-gloh-bin A1c)
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Hemoglobin A1c (HgbA1c) is a test that is used on diabetic patients to tell how well-controlled their blood sugars have been over the past 2-3 months. This test should be done every 3-6 months.
Normal Range: less than 6.0%
High Density Lipoprotein (hahy den-si-tee lip-uh-proh-teen)
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High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is good Cholesterol, because high levels in your blood seem to protect against heart attacks.
Normal Range: 60-75mg/dL or more
Low Density Lipoprotein (loh den-si-tee lip-uh-proh-teen)
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Low Density Lipoprotien (LDL) is bad Cholesterol. High levels increase the risk of heart and vascular disease.
Normal Range: less than 100 mg/dl.
Triglycerides (tri-glyc-er-ide)
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This test measures the risk of heart disease and the body’s ability to use fat effectively. High levels of triglycerides can mean a higher risk of heart attacks. Some diseases like diabetes raise triglyceride levels.
Normal Range less than 150 mg/dl.