Lab Test Reference Library

CBC

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

A CBC measures all three types of blood cells — red cells, white cells, and platelets — along with haemoglobin and haematocrit. It is one of the most ordered tests in medicine because it screens for dozens of conditions in a single draw.

CMP

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

The CMP is a 14-test panel covering glucose, electrolytes, kidney function, and liver enzymes in a single draw. Most adults have at least one CMP a year as part of routine check-ups.

Uric Acid

Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism. Elevated levels (hyperuricaemia) are the underlying cause of gout and are associated with kidney stone formation, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.

Potassium

Serum Potassium

Potassium is the most important intracellular electrolyte and plays a critical role in heart rhythm and muscle function. Even small deviations outside the reference range can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.

Sodium

Serum Sodium

Sodium is the primary electrolyte that determines blood osmolality and fluid distribution. Both low and high sodium levels can cause severe neurological symptoms and require careful correction.

Magnesium

Serum Magnesium

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions including ATP production, muscle contraction, and nerve signalling. Deficiency is extremely common but often missed because serum magnesium can remain normal while intracellular stores are depleted.

Calcium

Serum Calcium

Calcium is tightly regulated by PTH, vitamin D, and calcitonin. Abnormal calcium — whether high or low — can cause symptoms ranging from muscle cramps to kidney stones to cardiac arrhythmias.

Lipid Panel

The lipid panel measures four fat-related molecules in the blood — total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides — and remains the cornerstone of cardiovascular risk assessment.

TSH

Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH)

TSH is the pituitary gland's signal to the thyroid — it rises when the thyroid is underactive and falls when it is overactive. It is the single most sensitive test for detecting thyroid dysfunction.

Free T4

Free Thyroxine (Free T4)

Free T4 measures the active, unbound fraction of thyroxine — the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland. It is ordered alongside TSH to confirm thyroid diagnoses and guide treatment decisions.

ALT

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)

ALT is the most liver-specific enzyme in the standard panel. When liver cells are damaged, they release ALT into the bloodstream, making it a sensitive early warning for hepatitis, fatty liver disease, and medication toxicity.

Albumin

Serum Albumin

Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein, made exclusively by the liver. It maintains oncotic pressure (keeping fluid in blood vessels) and transports hormones, drugs, and fatty acids. Low albumin is one of medicine's most informative and under-appreciated findings.

Bilirubin

Bilirubin (Total & Direct)

Bilirubin is the yellow pigment produced when red blood cells are broken down. High bilirubin causes jaundice and signals problems with red cell destruction, liver processing, or bile duct drainage.

Creatinine / eGFR

Creatinine & eGFR

Creatinine is a waste product filtered by the kidneys; eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) converts it into a percentage of normal kidney function. Together they are the primary tools for detecting and staging chronic kidney disease.

Urinalysis

Urinalysis (Urine Dipstick & Microscopy)

Urinalysis is one of medicine's oldest tests and remains one of the most informative — a simple dipstick and microscopy can simultaneously screen for kidney disease, urinary infection, diabetes, and liver disease.

HbA1c

Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)

HbA1c reflects your average blood glucose over the past 2–3 months by measuring how much glucose has permanently attached to haemoglobin. It is the gold-standard test for diagnosing and managing diabetes.

FBG

Fasting Blood Glucose

Fasting blood glucose is the simplest, most widely used test for diabetes screening. Measured after at least 8 hours without food, it reflects your baseline blood sugar control before any meal stimulus.

CRP

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

CRP is a protein released by the liver in response to inflammation. Depending on which assay is ordered, it serves as either a sensitive general inflammation marker (standard CRP) or a cardiovascular risk predictor (high-sensitivity CRP, hs-CRP).

ESR

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)

ESR measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube — inflammation makes them clump and fall faster. It is a non-specific but clinically useful marker for detecting and monitoring inflammatory conditions.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D (25-OH Vitamin D)

Vitamin D deficiency affects an estimated 1 billion people worldwide and is particularly prevalent in the Middle East, where sun exposure is paradoxically limited by indoor lifestyles and clothing. This test measures your actual stored vitamin D level.

Iron Studies

Iron Studies (Iron Panel)

Iron studies go beyond a simple iron level to measure the body's full iron storage and transport system — serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, and TIBC — giving a complete picture of iron status.

B12

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is essential for nerve function, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell production. Deficiency develops slowly — often over years — and can cause irreversible neurological damage before blood cell changes appear.

Ferritin

Ferritin is the body's primary iron storage protein and the most sensitive blood test for detecting iron deficiency — it falls before haemoglobin or serum iron does. But it is also an acute-phase reactant, which means inflammation can mask deficiency.

Folate

Folate (Folic Acid)

Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and cell division — it is critically important in early pregnancy for preventing neural tube defects, and together with B12 it prevents megaloblastic anaemia.

PSA

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)

PSA is a protein produced by prostate cells and measured in blood as part of prostate cancer screening and monitoring. Interpreting PSA requires considering age, prostate size, rate of change, and other factors — a single number rarely tells the full story.

Testosterone

Testosterone (Total & Free)

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and plays important roles in muscle mass, bone density, libido, and mood in both men and women. Levels peak in the morning and decline with age.

Cortisol

Serum Cortisol

Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone — essential for blood sugar regulation, immune response, and blood pressure. Testing requires strict attention to timing because cortisol follows a powerful circadian rhythm.

Troponin

Cardiac Troponin (Troponin I & T)

Troponin is the gold-standard biomarker for diagnosing heart muscle damage. High-sensitivity troponin assays can detect injury within 1–3 hours of a heart attack, enabling faster rule-in and rule-out of acute myocardial infarction.

BNP / NT-proBNP

BNP / NT-proBNP (Heart Failure Marker)

BNP and NT-proBNP are hormones released by stretched heart muscle — they are the primary blood tests for diagnosing heart failure and monitoring treatment response.

PT / INR

Prothrombin Time (PT / INR)

Prothrombin time measures how long blood takes to form a clot via the extrinsic coagulation pathway. The INR standardises PT results across laboratories and is essential for monitoring warfarin therapy.

D-Dimer

D-dimer is a fibrin degradation product released when a blood clot dissolves. It is primarily used as a rule-out test for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) — a low result in a low-risk patient effectively excludes these diagnoses.