A Little Help, Please

 

Anyone have a really good grasp of what are good numbers for some blood tests? I know the range because it’s listed on the results I received in the mail, but I want to know if I need to better my numbers or if things look OK.

My numbers:

LIPID:

Cholesterol – 170

Triglyceride – 139

LDL – 102

VLDL (whatever that is) – 27.8

CHOL/HDL – 4.3

HDL DIRECT – 40

 

 

BASIC:

GLUCOSE – 77

BUN (again, whatever that is) – 14

CREATININE – 1.0

CHLORIDE – 104

SODIUM – 141

POTASSIUM – 4.2

GFR (?) - 85.50

 

 

AST(SGOT) (Again ???) – 21

 

ALT(SGPT) (Yet again???) – 53

 

PSA – 0.39

 

So, are all these numbers good, borderline, worrisome or what? I go to my doctor in less than 3 months, but I’d like to know now.

 

Anyone?

I'm working on the levels. In the meantime, here is some info:

 

Cholesterol - The body uses cholesterol to help build cells and produce hormones. Too much cholesterol in the blood can build up along the inside of the artery walls, forming what is known as plaque. Large amounts of plaque increase your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

 

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol helps remove fat from the body by binding with it in the bloodstream and carrying it back to the liver for disposal. It is sometimes called "good" cholesterol. A high level of HDL cholesterol may lower your chances of developing heart disease or stroke.

 

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol carries mostly fat and only a small amount of protein from the liver to other parts of the body. It is sometimes called "bad cholesterol." A high LDL cholesterol level may increase your chances of developing heart disease.

 

VLDL: (very low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol contains very little protein. The main purpose of VLDL is to distribute the triglyceride produced by your liver. A high VLDL cholesterol level can cause the buildup of cholesterol in your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

 

Triglycerides are a type of fat the body uses to store energy. Only small amounts are found in the blood. Having a high triglyceride level along with a high LDL cholesterol may increase your chances of having heart disease more than having only a high LDL cholesterol level.

Rather than try to copy them, here's a link to some normals for the cholesterol portion of the tests.

 

http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/cholesterol-and-triglycerides-tests?page=3

A blood sugar level of 70-100 mg/dL is considered normal, while people with levels between 100 and 125 mg/dL are considered to have impaired fasting glucose or prediabetes. Diabetes is typically diagnosed when the fasting blood glucose levels rise to 126 mg/dL or higher.

 

In the newly reported study, healthy, nondiabetic male Israeli soldiers were followed for 12 years. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting blood glucose levels. During that time, 208 of the approximately 13,000 men with initially normal blood sugar levels developed type 2 diabetes.

 

Despite normal blood sugar levels, those who were obese, had a family history of diabetes, and had high levels of blood fats (triglycerides) were nine times as likely as men with none of these risk factors to develop diabetes.

 

The researchers also show that men with the highest normal-range blood sugar, even levels of 90 mg/dL, had a higher risk.

 

Implications for Treatment

The findings could have implications for determining when to treat people at risk with blood sugar-lowering medications.

 

And they note that a one-level-fits-all approach to blood sugar testing is too simplistic, says diabetes specialist Ronald Arky, MD, of Harvard Medical School.

 

"Blood glucose means very little if you don't considered obesity, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, family history, and other diabetes risk factors along with it," he tells WebMD.

Edited July 14, 200818 yr by Birdsfan

BUN stands for bilirubin/urea/nitrogen. This, along with creatinine, chloride, sodium, and potassium are all indicators of proper renal function.

 

Normal BUN is 10–20 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or 3.6–7.1 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). The ratio of BUN to creatinine should be 10-20:1.

 

Sodium and potassium levels are all about the relationship of one to the other. As one goes up, the other goes down.

 

GFR stands for glomular filtrartion rate. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. Glomerular filtration rate is usually calculated using a mathematical formula that compares a person's size, age, sex, and race to serum creatinine levels.

 

A GFR under 60 mL/min/1.73 m² may indicate kidney disease-the lower the GFR number, the worse the kidney function. This number is an estimate. It may not be a good measure of kidney health in some people, such as the very young or very old, amputees, or obese people.

Edited July 14, 200818 yr by Birdsfan

I wish my cholesterol levels were that low. I'm on medication to control mine. My doctor told me that if it wasn't found when it was I would have had some kind of cardiac event with in a year or so.

I wish my cholesterol levels were that low. I'm on medication to control mine. My doctor told me that if it wasn't found when it was I would have had some kind of cardiac event with in a year or so.

I'm pretty happy about the cholesterol. I'm just not sure if some of the other numbers are too high and I'm not sure if the HDL isn't too low.

Thanks, BF. I'll sort through all of this.

 

Any idea what AST(SGOT) or ALT(SGPT) is?

I don't remember any of the number of my lipid profile that they did when I went into the hospital but I do remember this much............THEY WERE NOT HIGH!!!!! I told them that I had never shot a high Lipid or a high blood sugar in the last 28 years and I had both of these checked faithfully. They have me on lipitor and a pill for diabetes. Well this will just have to change because in 1 more month I am going to have both of these ran and if they are still normal then I want to know why I am taking this medicine.

Thanks, BF. I'll sort through all of this.

 

Any idea what AST(SGOT) or ALT(SGPT) is?

An aspartate aminotransferase (AST) test measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood. AST is normally found in red blood cells, liver, heart, muscle tissue, pancreas, and kidneys. AST formerly was called serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT).

 

Low levels of AST are normally found in the blood. When body tissue or an organ such as the heart or liver is diseased or damaged, additional AST is released into the bloodstream. The amount of AST in the blood is directly related to the extent of the tissue damage. After severe damage, AST levels rise in 6 to 10 hours and remain high for about 4 days.

 

The AST test may be done at the same time as a test for alanine aminotransferase, or ALT. The ratio of AST to ALT sometimes can help determine whether the liver or another organ has been damaged. Both ALT and AST levels can test for liver damage.

 

Normal values for AST may vary from lab to lab. 8–35 units per liter (U/L) or 0.14–0.58 microKat/L are normal.

An aspartate aminotransferase (AST) test measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood. AST is normally found in red blood cells, liver, heart, muscle tissue, pancreas, and kidneys. AST formerly was called serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT).

 

Low levels of AST are normally found in the blood. When body tissue or an organ such as the heart or liver is diseased or damaged, additional AST is released into the bloodstream. The amount of AST in the blood is directly related to the extent of the tissue damage. After severe damage, AST levels rise in 6 to 10 hours and remain high for about 4 days.

 

The AST test may be done at the same time as a test for alanine aminotransferase, or ALT. The ratio of AST to ALT sometimes can help determine whether the liver or another organ has been damaged. Both ALT and AST levels can test for liver damage.

 

Normal values for AST may vary from lab to lab. 8–35 units per liter (U/L) or 0.14–0.58 microKat/L are normal.

So, is 21 good for AST and is 53 good for ALT, or are either a little too high?

 

Thanks again for the info. :thumb:

I don't remember any of the number of my lipid profile that they did when I went into the hospital but I do remember this much............THEY WERE NOT HIGH!!!!! I told them that I had never shot a high Lipid or a high blood sugar in the last 28 years and I had both of these checked faithfully. They have me on lipitor and a pill for diabetes. Well this will just have to change because in 1 more month I am going to have both of these ran and if they are still normal then I want to know why I am taking this medicine.

Oh, now I feel better. :eek:

An alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood. ALT is found mainly in the liver, but also in smaller amounts in the kidneys, heart, muscles, and pancreas. ALT formerly was called serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT).

 

ALT is measured to see if the liver is damaged or diseased. Low levels of ALT are normally found in the blood. But when the liver is damaged or diseased, it releases ALT into the bloodstream, which makes ALT levels go up. Most increases in ALT levels are caused by liver damage.

 

Again, normal values vary from lab to lab; but generally speaking, the normal range is 4–36 units per liter (U/L) or 0.07–0.62 microKat/L.

An alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test measures the amount of this enzyme in the blood. ALT is found mainly in the liver, but also in smaller amounts in the kidneys, heart, muscles, and pancreas. ALT formerly was called serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT).

 

ALT is measured to see if the liver is damaged or diseased. Low levels of ALT are normally found in the blood. But when the liver is damaged or diseased, it releases ALT into the bloodstream, which makes ALT levels go up. Most increases in ALT levels are caused by liver damage.

 

Again, normal values vary from lab to lab; but generally speaking, the normal range is 4–36 units per liter (U/L) or 0.07–0.62 microKat/L.

My ALT is 53, is that a concern?

Oh, now I feel better. :eek:

I am serious. When I started rehab they wanted some of my medical records. So I called my doctor's office and they faxed me a boat load of records. While looking through them, cause we all know I am nosey, I noticed some blood work results. I went on the internet and got what was normal scale on all these tests and none of them were HIGH....I then called my ARNP friend and gave her the results and she also is questioning why they have me on meds to control a problem that I obviously don't have. Perhaps precautionary??????