Reading Your Lab Results: A Patient's Practical Guide in Lebanon
AdvisorLB Team
Patient portals and PDF results now arrive faster than the doctor can comment on them. A little literacy helps you ask better questions rather than worry needlessly.
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Haemoglobin (Hb) — low suggests anaemia; check MCV (cell size) to narrow cause (low = iron deficiency or thalassemia; high = B12/folate; normal = chronic disease).
- White cells (WBC) — elevated commonly in infection; specific subtypes (neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils) point to bacterial, viral, or allergic causes.
- Platelets — low can cause bleeding; high may relate to inflammation or rare bone marrow disorders.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
- Creatinine and BUN — kidney function (calculate eGFR).
- Sodium, potassium — electrolyte balance.
- Glucose — fasting result; HbA1c is the 3-month average.
- ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin — liver health.
Lipid panel
LDL cholesterol is the target most cardiologists treat to. Targets vary: <100 mg/dL for average risk, <70 if you have diabetes or established cardiovascular disease, <55 in very high risk. Triglycerides above 150 deserve attention.
HbA1c
- <5.7% normal; 5.7–6.4% pre-diabetes; ≥6.5% diabetes.
- Most diabetics target 6.5–7.5% individualized.
Things to know before reading any result
- Reference ranges differ between labs; compare to the range printed next to your value.
- Fasting state, time of day, recent illness, exercise, and medications all influence results.
- One borderline value is rarely diagnostic — trends matter more.
- Always send the report to the ordering physician for interpretation in context.