Reading Your Lab Results: A Patient's Practical Guide in Lebanon

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.