Understanding Your Blood Test Results: A Complete Plain Language Guide
2 April 2026 · 9 min read · By Medyra
Your doctor has ordered a blood test and now you have a page of numbers. Some values are highlighted or flagged with arrows. You have a follow up appointment next week but you want to understand what you are looking at now.
This guide covers the most commonly ordered blood test panels, what each value measures, what counts as normal, and what it means if a value is outside the reference range.
Complete Blood Count (CBC / Blutbild)
The CBC is the most commonly ordered blood test. It gives a snapshot of the cells circulating in your blood.
Haemoglobin (Hb)
Men: 13.5–17.5 g/dL · Women: 12.0–15.5 g/dL
Carries oxygen in red blood cells. Low values indicate anaemia; high values can indicate dehydration or other conditions.
White Blood Cells (WBC / Leukozyten)
4.0–11.0 × 10³/µL
The immune system cells. High WBC often indicates infection or inflammation; low WBC may indicate immune suppression.
Platelets (Thrombozyten)
150–400 × 10³/µL
Responsible for clotting. Very low platelets increase bleeding risk; very high platelets can increase clot risk.
MCV
80–100 fL
Average size of your red blood cells. Low MCV suggests iron deficiency; high MCV can indicate B12 or folate deficiency.
Blood Sugar (Blutzucker / Glukose)
Blood sugar tests show how your body manages glucose. There are two main types: fasting glucose and HbA1c.
Fasting Glucose (Nüchternblutzucker)
< 5.6 mmol/L (< 100 mg/dL)
Blood sugar taken after at least 8 hours fasting. Values 5.6–6.9 mmol/L suggest pre-diabetes; ≥ 7.0 mmol/L suggests diabetes.
HbA1c
< 5.7% (< 39 mmol/mol)
Shows your average blood sugar over the last 2–3 months. Does not require fasting. 5.7–6.4% suggests pre-diabetes; ≥ 6.5% suggests diabetes.
Cholesterol (Lipidprofil)
A lipid panel measures fats in your blood. It usually includes total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides.
Total Cholesterol (Gesamtcholesterin)
< 5.0 mmol/L (< 200 mg/dL)
The overall amount of cholesterol in your blood. Elevated total cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease.
LDL Cholesterol
< 3.0 mmol/L (< 115 mg/dL)
Often called "bad cholesterol". LDL deposits cholesterol in artery walls. Lower is better; target thresholds vary by your individual cardiovascular risk.
HDL Cholesterol
Men: > 1.0 mmol/L · Women: > 1.2 mmol/L
Often called "good cholesterol". HDL carries cholesterol away from arteries. Higher is generally better.
Triglycerides
< 1.7 mmol/L (< 150 mg/dL)
Fat stored in the blood. High triglycerides, especially combined with low HDL, indicate metabolic risk. Alcohol, refined carbohydrates, and inactivity raise triglycerides.
Inflammation (Entzündungsmarker)
Inflammation markers help detect infections, autoimmune activity, or chronic inflammation.
CRP (C-reactive protein)
< 5 mg/L (high-sensitivity CRP: < 1 mg/L)
Rises rapidly during infection or inflammation. Very high CRP (> 100 mg/L) typically indicates a bacterial infection. Mildly elevated CRP (5–20 mg/L) is less specific.
ESR (Blutsenkungsgeschwindigkeit / BSG)
Men: < 15 mm/h · Women: < 20 mm/h (age-adjusted)
An older and less specific inflammation marker. Used alongside CRP or to track chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Liver (Leberwerte)
Liver function tests check how well your liver is processing substances. They are commonly ordered as part of routine checks or before starting certain medications.
ALT (GPT / Alanine aminotransferase)
Men: < 45 U/L · Women: < 35 U/L
The most liver specific enzyme. Elevated ALT usually indicates liver cell damage or inflammation (hepatitis, fatty liver, medications).
AST (GOT / Aspartate aminotransferase)
< 40 U/L
Found in liver and muscle. Less specific than ALT, elevated AST can also indicate muscle damage (e.g. after intense exercise or a heart attack).
GGT (Gamma-glutamyltransferase)
Men: < 60 U/L · Women: < 40 U/L
Sensitive to alcohol and certain medications. Often the first liver value to rise with regular alcohol consumption.
Bilirubin
Total: < 17 µmol/L (< 1.0 mg/dL)
A breakdown product of haemoglobin. Elevated bilirubin causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes). Can indicate liver disease, bile duct problems, or haemolysis.
Kidney (Nierenwerte)
Kidney function tests check whether your kidneys are filtering blood effectively.
Creatinine (Kreatinin)
Men: 62–115 µmol/L · Women: 53–97 µmol/L
A waste product filtered by the kidneys. Elevated creatinine suggests reduced kidney function, dehydration, or high muscle mass.
eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)
> 60 mL/min/1.73m²
Estimates how much blood the kidneys filter per minute. eGFR 45–59 suggests mild-to-moderate kidney disease; below 15 is kidney failure.
Urea (Harnstoff)
2.5–7.1 mmol/L
Another kidney waste product. High urea with high creatinine confirms kidney impairment. High urea with normal creatinine can indicate dehydration or high protein intake.
What to do with an out of range result
Seeing a flagged value can be alarming, but context is everything. A few guiding principles:
- Mildly out of range: Often not clinically significant on its own, especially without symptoms. Many labs flag anything outside the 2.5–97.5th percentile, which means 1 in 20 healthy people will have at least one flag.
- Significantly out of range: Values far from the reference range, especially with symptoms, need follow up.
- Trends over time: A value that has been gradually worsening over three tests is more concerning than a one time blip.
- Multiple related values: If LDL, triglycerides, and blood sugar are all elevated together, that is a more complete metabolic picture.
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