Decode my labs
Understanding your labs

Your blood test, one marker at a time

Routine blood work is full of abbreviations. These short guides explain what each marker means in plain language, with every explanation traceable to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and other NIH sources. None of this is a diagnosis, and your own clinician is always the right person to interpret your results.

Blood test markers

LDL cholesterol
What LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is, how to read your number against NIH reference ranges, and what ...
HDL cholesterol
What HDL (“good”) cholesterol is, why a higher number helps, and how to read your result against...
Triglycerides
What triglycerides are, how to read your level against NIH reference ranges, and what a high res...
Hemoglobin A1c
What the A1c test measures, how to read your percentage against NIH thresholds for prediabetes a...
Blood glucose
What a blood glucose test measures, how to read fasting results against NIH thresholds, and what...
TSH (thyroid)
What the TSH thyroid test measures, how a high or low result relates to an underactive or overac...
Vitamin D
What the vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) test measures, what a low level can mean, and how to re...
Total cholesterol
What total cholesterol combines, how to read your number against NIH ranges, and why the breakdo...
Vitamin B12
What the vitamin B12 test measures, what a low level can mean for energy and nerves, and how to ...
Hemoglobin
What hemoglobin is, how a low or high level relates to anemia, and how to read your result. Educ...
Ferritin
What ferritin measures about your iron stores, what a low or high level can mean, and how to rea...
Creatinine
What creatinine tells you about kidney function, how it relates to eGFR, and how to read your re...
C-reactive protein
What CRP measures about inflammation, what a high level can and cannot tell you, and how to read...
eGFR
What eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is, how to read your number against NIH referen...
Sodium
What a sodium blood test measures, how to read your number against NIH reference ranges, and wha...
Potassium
What a potassium blood test measures, how to read your number against NIH reference ranges, and ...
ALT
What an ALT blood test measures, how to read your number, and what a high ALT can mean for liver...
AST
What an AST blood test measures, how to read your number, and what a high AST can mean. Educatio...

Symptoms

Why am I dizzy?
Dizziness and vertigo have many possible causes, from inner-ear issues to blood pressure. What t...
Why am I so tired?
Persistent tiredness has many possible causes, from sleep and stress to anemia and thyroid issue...
Why do I have headaches?
Headaches come in different types with different causes, and most are not dangerous. How to tell...
Chest pain
Common causes of chest pain, warning signs that need emergency care, and what to consider next. ...
Shortness of breath
Common causes of shortness of breath, warning signs that need urgent care, and what to consider ...
Abdominal pain
Common causes of abdominal pain, warning signs that need urgent care, and what to consider next....

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These guides use public information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and other NIH sources and are educational, not medical advice. Reference ranges vary by laboratory. Always discuss your own results with the clinician who ordered them.