Blood report explained: how to read a lab report in India

A blood report is the page or PDF a lab gives you after testing your blood sample. Each line shows a test name, your value, a unit and a normal range. To read it, compare each value with the range printed on that same report, then take anything flagged to your doctor. One value outside the range is common, and on its own it doesn't tell you what's wrong.

This guide covers the blood test report most labs in India send, from a single CBC to a full body checkup. For how ranges work in general, see how to read blood work test results.

Start at the top of the page

Before you look at any number, spend a moment on the header:

• Name, age and gender. Check these first. Ranges can differ between groups of people, so a wrong entry can mean you're reading the wrong range.
• Ref. by. The doctor who asked for the test. "Self" usually means you booked it yourself, so no treating doctor has seen it yet.
• Collected and reported. The date and time your sample was taken, and when the result was ready. These help you line the report up with earlier ones.
• Lab or sample number. Keep this handy if you need to call the lab.
• Signature. Most reports end with the name of the doctor who checked them.

You may also see an NABL mark. NABL is India's accreditation board for labs, and its mark is a third-party attestation of a lab's technical competence. Accreditation is voluntary, so a report without the mark isn't automatically wrong. The mark may not cover every test a lab offers, so the NABL website lets you check a certificate number and a lab's scope.

What each column means

On the report	What it means
Test or Investigation	What was measured
Result or Observed value	Your number. It's often bold, or marked H or L, when it's outside the range
Unit	How it was measured
Biological reference interval	The normal range this lab uses
Method	How the lab measured it. You can usually skip this, but it's one reason two labs differ

The biological reference interval is built from results in large groups of healthy people. It's a guide, not a pass or fail mark. MedlinePlus notes that healthy people sometimes fall outside the range, and that some people with health problems fall inside it. Labs also use different methods, so always read your value against the range on your own report, not a chart you found online.

Units that confuse people

Indian reports often write counts in lakhs, which you won't see in most guides written abroad.

On the report	What it means	Same number written another way
lakh/cumm	100,000 per cubic millimetre	2.5 lakh/cumm = 250,000/µL
mill/cumm	Million per cubic millimetre	4.8 mill/cumm = 4.8 million/µL
/cumm	Count per cubic millimetre	7,000/cumm = 7.0 x 10³/µL
gm/dL or gm%	Grams in every 100 mL of blood	13 gm% = 13 g/dL
mg/dL	Milligrams in every 100 mL	Used for sugar, cholesterol and creatinine
ng/mL, pg/mL	Very small amounts	Used for vitamins such as D and B12

One cumm is the same as one microlitre (µL), so these are only different spellings of one measure. The numbers in this table show the conversion. They aren't target values.

The short names on most reports

Short name	Full name	What it looks at
CBC, CBP, hemogram	Complete blood count	Red cells, haemoglobin, white cells and platelets
FBS, PPBS	Fasting and post-meal blood sugar	Your sugar at one moment
HbA1c	Glycated haemoglobin	Your average sugar over about two to three months
Lipid profile	Cholesterol panel	Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides
LFT	Liver function test	How your liver is working
KFT or RFT	Kidney or renal function test	How your kidneys are working, often with creatinine and urea
TFT	Thyroid function test	TSH, T3 and T4
Vitamin D, B12	25(OH)D, cobalamin	Whether you have enough of each vitamin

We have separate guides to HbA1c, liver function tests and thyroid tests.

Reading a CBC

The CBC is the most common blood test. It counts the cells in your blood, and an odd value doesn't always mean you need treatment. Diet, activity, medicines, your period and not drinking enough water can all move it.

Haemoglobin

Haemoglobin carries oxygen in your red blood cells. A low level may be a sign of anaemia, thalassaemia, iron deficiency, blood loss (including heavy periods), or too little iron or vitamin B12. A high level may be linked to lung or heart disease, among other causes.

Anaemia is common. The World Health Organization estimates it affects 30% of women aged 15 to 49 and 37% of pregnant women worldwide. WHO describes it as a symptom of an underlying condition, so the useful question is why it's low. Don't start iron tablets on your own, because low haemoglobin isn't always about iron.

White cells

A high white cell count may be a sign of an infection or a reaction to a medicine. A low count has several possible causes, including autoimmune and bone marrow disorders, so ask your doctor about it instead of guessing.

Platelets

Platelets help your blood clot. A low count can follow a viral infection, and it can also be linked to autoimmune disease, vitamin B12 deficiency or problems with the bone marrow. A mild drop is common in pregnancy. If you have a fever and your doctor is tracking your platelets, follow their plan for repeat tests and don't try to read the trend alone.

If you have a fever and low platelets and no doctor is following you, see one today. In dengue, WHO says severe symptoms often come after the fever has gone. Get emergency care for bleeding gums or nose, blood in vomit or stool, severe belly pain or repeated vomiting, even if the fever has passed.

A few numbers worth knowing

These are widely used figures for adults, and they don't apply in pregnancy. They're a guide, your report's own range comes first, and your doctor may set a different target for you.

Test	Result	Usually described as
HbA1c	Below 5.7%	Normal
HbA1c	5.7% to 6.4%	Prediabetes
HbA1c	6.5% or above	Diabetes range
Fasting sugar	100 to 125 mg/dL	Prediabetes
Fasting sugar	126 mg/dL or above	Diabetes range, usually confirmed on two tests
Total cholesterol	Less than 200 mg/dL	Healthy level
LDL cholesterol	Less than 100 mg/dL	Healthy level
HDL cholesterol	60 mg/dL or above	Best. Below 40 mg/dL in men or 50 mg/dL in women is low

Three things are worth knowing:

• HbA1c can mislead. Anaemia and some other blood disorders can make it inaccurate for diagnosing diabetes, and kidney failure and liver disease can affect it too.
• Creatinine depends on you. Your level depends on your muscle, food, age and activity. It's often used to estimate how fast your kidneys filter waste, and a single high value can't show the cause, so ask your doctor about it soon.
• Vitamin D is often given in words. Reports may say deficient, insufficient, sufficient or toxic. Total vitamin D is the number to look at.

If you had a full body checkup

Packages can include dozens of tests in one report. Ranges are set so that some healthy people fall outside them, which means a few flagged values are quite likely in a long report, even if you feel well.

Don't start a supplement or change your diet because of one flag. Show the whole report to a doctor, ideally with your last one, and ask which values matter for you.

Before your next blood test

• Ask if you need to fast. When you do, it usually means 8 to 12 hours with only plain water, and no gum, smoking or exercise.
• List what you take. Tell the doctor about every medicine and supplement. Ask before you skip a regular dose.
• Use the same lab if you can. Different labs can use different methods, so the same lab gives you numbers that line up better over time.
• Keep your reports together. Put them in date order. The change between two reports is often more useful than either one alone. If a result surprises you, read why blood test results can be wrong.

When not to wait

Call your doctor or the lab straight away if a value is marked critical and nobody has contacted you. If you can't reach anyone or don't have a doctor, go to a hospital emergency department now. If you aren't sure how serious a result is, this guide to which results need attention can help.

Your symptoms matter more than the page. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, confusion, severe weakness or you faint, call 112 in India or your local emergency number. Don't wait to look up your results.

Questions to take to your doctor

1. Which of these values matter for me, and which can I ignore?
2. Has this changed since my last report?
3. Could a medicine or supplement I take explain it?
4. Do I need a repeat test, and when?

How Saluvo can help

Add a photo or PDF of your report to Saluvo's blood test explainer. Two AI models read it, you confirm any value they disagree on, and you can see how your results change across reports. It works in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu and English, among other languages. Saluvo isn't a doctor and can't diagnose you, so take its explanation along to your appointment.