Reading a check-up report: which numbers to ask a doctor about
A check-up report is dozens of numbers, each with a reference range beside it. A value outside the range does not always mean illness, and one inside it does not always mean there is nothing to watch. Here is how to read the report, and which lines to take to a doctor.
What the reference range is
The reference range is where about 95% of healthy people fall at that laboratory — so one healthy person in twenty has some value slightly outside it with nothing wrong. A single value a little outside the range usually means “repeat it”, not “disease”. Ranges also differ between labs, so always read a value against the range printed on that report.
The three groups people ask about most
Sugar: FBS is that morning’s level; HbA1c is the average over 2–3 months. An HbA1c of 5.7–6.4% is called prediabetes, which lifestyle changes can reverse. Lipids: LDL is the value doctors act on most, and the target depends on your overall risk, not one number for everyone. Liver and kidneys: mildly raised liver enzymes are often fatty liver or a medicine; an eGFR below 60 on repeat tests should see a doctor.
When to see a doctor, and when to just repeat
See a doctor when a value is well outside its range (sugar over 126, LDL over 190), when several values are off at once, when a value that was normal has moved a long way since last year, or when the report itself says so. A single value a little over the line, with no symptoms, is usually enough to repeat in 3–6 months. Either way, take the whole report rather than one line — a doctor reads the values together.
