In this article, I will take you through 30 Important questions that you should know about blood testing. If you ever visited a doctor for treatment of any infectious diseases then you might have observed that most of the time doctor ask you to go for some specific type of blood testing depending on the symptoms you have. As a non-medical person sometimes it is very difficult for you to understand the kind of blood testing suggested. Hence here I am going to explain all the important questions that you would want to know about this.

30 Important Questions You Need to Know About Blood Testing

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1. What is MCV in blood test ?

Ans. MCV stands for mean corpuscular volume. MCV test measures the average size of red blood cells. A typical adult MCV level is 80–100 femtoliters (fl).

2. What is ALT in blood test ?

Ans. ALT is an enzyme found in a high level in the liver. It is usually released in the blood when liver cells are damaged. Hence ALT test is done to diagnose the Liver disorders. A normal ALT test result can range from 7 to 55 units per liter (U/L).

3. What is MCHC in blood test ?

Ans. MCHC stands for "mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration". MCHC test is done to check the average amount of hemoglobin in a group of red blood cells. The reference range for MCHC in adults is 33.4–35.5 grams per deciliter (g/dL).

4. What is TSH in blood test ?

Ans. TSH stands for "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone". TSH test is done to measure the level of thyroid stimulating hormone in the blood. This hormone is produced by a small, butterfly-shaped gland called thyroid. The normal values of TSH are 0.5 to 5.0 mIU/L.

5. What is a RDW in blood test ?

Ans. RDW stands for "Red Cell Distribution Width". It is a test to measure the differences in the volume and size of your red blood cells (erythrocytes). In adult men, the normal level of RDW is 11.8% to 14.5%  and in adult female, it is 12.2% to 16.1%.

6. What is AST in blood test ?

Ans. AST stands for "aspartate aminotransferase" test. It is test to measure level of enzyme aspartate aminotransferase in the blood. This test is done to check the liver for any damage. The normal range is 8 to 33 U/L.

7. What is BUN in blood test ?

Ans. BUN stands for "Blood Urea Nitrogen" test. It is a test to measure the amount of urea nitrogen in the blood. Higher level of BUN indicates that the Kidney is not functioning properly. The normal BUN level is considered to be around 6 to 24 mg/dL (2.1 to 8.5 mmol/L ) but it tends to increase with the age.

8. What is MPV in blood test ?

Ans. MPV stands for "mean platelet volume". Platelets are small pieces of very large cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes. Platelets help form blood clot and is absolutely important to stop the bleeding. MPV blood test is done to measure the average size of your platelets. A normal MPV is 8–12 femtoliters.

9. What is WBC in blood test ?

Ans. WBC stands for "white blood cells". WBCs are also called leukocytes. WBC test is done to measure the number of white blood cells in the blood. Since WBC is a part of immune system, it helps fight infections. The normal number of WBCs in the blood is 4,500 to 11,000 WBCs per microliter (4.5 to 11.0 × 109/L).

10. What is Creatinine in blood test ?

Ans. Creatinine is a chemical compound left over from energy-producing processes in your muscles. The Creatinine test is done to measure the functionality of kidney in performing the job of filtering waste from your blood. The normal level of creatinine for an adult men is 0.74 to 1.35 mg/dL and for adult women is 0.59 to 1.04 mg/dL.

11. What is HCT in blood test ?

Ans. HCT, also known as Hematocrit is the percentage of red blood cells in a person's blood. The hematocrit test is also known as packed-cell volume(PCV) test. For an adult men, the normal level of hematocrit is considered to be 38.3% to 48.6% and for women is 35.5% to 44.9%.

12. What is RBC in blood test ?

Ans. RBC, also known as Red Blood Cells are one of the important component of the blood. RBC test is done to measure the count of red blood cells in the blood. For adult men, the normal range is 4.7 to 6.1 million cells per microlitre (cells/mcL) and for adult female, it is 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/mcL.

13. What is eGFR in blood test ?

Ans. eGFR stands for "estimated glomerular filtration rate". The eGFR test is done to measure the levels of kidney function. It is usually calculated from the results of creatinine test, your age, body size and gender. In adults, the normal eGFR number is considered to be 60 or more.

14. What is Albumin in blood test ?

Ans. Albumin is a protein made in the Liver. An albumin test is done to measure the amount of albumin in blood. Low albumin level may be a sign of Liver or Kidney diseases. High levels may indicates the sign of dehydration. The normal albumin levels in an adult's blood range from 3.5 to 5.5 grams per deciliter (g/dL).

15. What is PSA in a blood test ?

Ans. PSA stands for "prostate-specific antigen". It is a protein made only by the Prostate gland. PSA test is a blood test done to measure the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood to detect prostate cancer. There is no specific normal or abnormal level of PSA in the blood but usually 0 to 2.5 ng/mL is considered to be safe.

16. What is Bilirubin in blood test ?

Ans. Bilirubin is a yellowish pigment made during the normal breakdown of Red Blood Cells(RBC). It ultimately passes through the liver and excreted out of the body. A bilirubin test is done to measure the amount of bilirubin in the blood. For adults over 18, normal level is 1.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and for below 18, the normal level will be 1 mg/dl.

17. What is Glucose in blood test ?

Ans. Glucose is a type of sugar and acts as the body's main source of energy. A blood glucose test is done to measure the levels of glucose in your body. High levels of glucose beyond the threshold might indicate the pre-diabetic or diabetic conditions. A fasting blood sugar level of 99 mg/dL or lower is considered to be normal and 140 mg/dL after the meal(2 hours after eating).

18. What is Lymphocytes in blood test ?

Ans. Lymphocytes are type of white blood cells that protects our body from infection or disease. For adults, normal lymphocyte count is between 1,000 and 4,800 per microliter of blood.

19. What is Hemoglobin in blood test ?

Ans. Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen to body organs and tissues. For adult men, the normal range of hemoglobin is 13.2 to 16.6 grams per deciliter and for adult female, the normal range is 11.6 to 15 grams per deciliter.

20. What is Monocytes in blood test ?

Ans. Monocytes are a type of white blood cells(WBC) made in the bone marrow. It is a largest type of white blood cell which accounts for almost 1 to 10% of the circulating white blood cells. Hence a normal count is usually considered between 2% and 8% of your white blood cell count.

21. What is a Ferritin blood test ?

Ans. Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. Ferritin blood test is done to measure the level of ferritin in your blood. Lower level of ferritin below the thresholds might indicate the Iron deficiency. For adult men, the normal level is 24 to 336 micrograms per liter and for adult female, it is 11 to 307 micrograms per liter.

22. What is Anion gap in blood test ?

Ans. An anion gap is a type of blood test for checking the acid-base balance (pH balance) of your blood. The test also uses the result of another blood test called an electrolyte panel. Normal anion gap may vary a little but is usually considered between 3 to 10 mEq/L.

23. What is ESR on a blood test ?

Ans. ESR is known as "erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)". It is a blood test done to reveal the inflammatory activity in the blood. For adult men, the normal range is 0 to 22 mm/hr and for adult female, the normal range is 0 to 29 mm/hr.

24. What is Basophils in blood test ?

Ans. Basophils are a types of white blood cells that protect our body from infection. It is made in the bone marrow. High levels of basophils can cause basophilia. A normal basophil count is usually 0.5% to 1% of white blood cell count.

25. What is LDH in blood test ?

Ans. LDH stands for "lactate dehydrogenase". It is an enzyme that the body uses during the process of turning sugar into energy for the cells to use. LDH test is done to measure the amount of LDH in the body. The normal value range is 105 to 333 international units per liter (IU/L).

26. What is LDL in blood test ?

Ans. LDL stands for "Low Density Lipoproteins". It is also sometimes called bad cholesterol. High level of LDL indicates build up of cholesterol in arteries leading to high blood pressure and heart related problems. LDL Cholesterol level should always be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

27. What is PLT in blood test ?

Ans. PLT is "platelet count" test. This test is done to measure the number of platelets in your blood. A normal platelet count in adults ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood or or 150 to 400 × 109/L. Normal ranges may vary slightly.

28. What is Triglycerides in blood test ?

Ans. Triglycerides are a type of fat made in the body as well as available from the external food diet. Triglycerides test is done to measure the amount of triglycerides in the blood. The normally level of triglycerides is usually considered to be below 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) of blood.

29. What does MCH mean in a blood test ?

Ans. MCH stands for "mean corpuscular hemoglobin." It is the average amount of hemoglobin present in a single red blood cell. The normal range of MCH is usually from 27 - 31 pg.

30. What is Globulin in blood test ?

Ans. Globulins are group of proteins in your blood. A globulin blood test is done to measure the levels of proteins called globulins in your blood serum. A low globulin reading may indicate a sign of liver or kidney diseases and high globulin reading may indicate autoimmune disease, infections or cancer. The normal range of globulin is around 2.0-3.9 g/dL or 20-39 g/L.