Reading your blood test results without panicking

A value printed in bold is not a diagnosis. Here is how our pathology team actually reads the numbers you see on your results letter.

Reference ranges are populations, not people

A reference range is the middle 95 per cent of a healthy population, which means one healthy person in twenty sits outside it on any given test. A single flagged value in an otherwise normal panel is usually noise.

Trends beat snapshots

Two results six months apart tell us far more than one result today. If you have had tests elsewhere, bring them; we would rather compare than repeat.

When we do act quickly

Some results are followed up the same day: a very low haemoglobin, a rising white cell count with a fever, or a clotting result that changes your medication. You will hear from us directly, not by letter.