Understand blood test results: read your lab report in plain words

A lab report lists each result with its unit and the lab’s reference range. Ranges differ between labs, methods, age and sex, so always compare a value with the range on the same report.

What abbreviations like MCV, ALT or eGFR stand for is listed in Blood test abbreviations.

An arrow, “H” or “L” means a value is above or below the reference range. That is a signal, not a diagnosis: healthy people sometimes have single values outside the range. What matters is the context with other values, symptoms and earlier results.

The explanation goes value by value: what does stored iron or hemoglobin measure, and how does the result compare with the range? In the example, it shows that stored iron of 9 ng/mL is below the lab’s range. See how different AI models explain the same report in our blood test comparison.

A single value says less than its trend. Search “lab” in your archive to have earlier reports side by side, and write your questions right next to the report.

Important: the explanation helps you understand, but it is not a diagnosis and does not replace your doctor.