Blood test interpretation

[Miserere]

Hallo everyone,

I requested a blood test to cover a number of things - not sure this one covers everything or maybe there's more to come. I wonder if anyone might be willing or have the time to help with interpretation. ESR looks OK - I requested CRP as well but doesn't appear to be there unless I am missing something. She also decided to do a cortisol test but I can't see any results or are they hidden in the blood readings? I doubt it would make much sense anyway as I am still on 7mg. Perhaps the full results aren't through yet as I can't see ferritin, electrolytes or B12 etc.

Blood Test June 2024

Test result Erythrocyte sedimentation rate Report, Normal, No Further Action. Review done by Evie Hall at - 52r) - 10 Jun 2024 07:55

Coded entry Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (XE2m7) 9 mm/hr [0 - 20] Information about this test

Test result Full blood count Report, Normal, No Further Action. Review done by Dr Lindsay Li - 52r) - 07 Jun 2024 16:36

Coded entry Mean cell haemoglobin concentration (429..) 33.2 g/dL [31.5 - 34.5] - This value has been converted from: 332.0 g/L

Coded entry Neutrophil count (42J..) 3.2 10^9/L [2 - 7]

Coded entry Mean cell volume (42A..) 94 fL [83 - 101]

Coded entry Mean cell haemoglobin level (XE2pb) 31.3 pg [27 - 32]

Coded entry Lymphocyte count (42M..) 2.2 10^9/L [1 - 3]

Coded entry Total white blood count (XaIdY) 6.4 10^9/L [4 - 10] Information about this test

Coded entry Platelet count - observation (42P..) 329 10^9/L [150 - 410] Information about this test

Coded entry Full blood count (424..) Information about this test

Coded entry Haemoglobin concentration (Xa96v) 121 g/L [120 - 150] Information about this test

Coded entry Haematocrit (X76tb) 0.364 [0.36 - 0.46] Information about this test

Coded entry Monocyte count - observation (42N..) 0.6 10^9/L [0.2 - 1]

Coded entry Nucleated red blood cell count (4266.) 0 10^9/L

Coded entry Red blood cell count (426..) 3.86 10^12/L [3.8 - 4.8] Information about this test

Coded entry Eosinophil count - observation (42K..) 0.3 10^9/L [0 - 0.5]

Coded entry Basophil count (42L..) 0.1 10^9/L [0 - 0.1]

This is what I requested and she seemed to agree to:

I should also appreciate it if you could test Ferritin/ Iron, Vitamin B12 and Folates and Vitamin D levels plus electrolyte balance as I understand all these things can affect the situation. In addition it is a long time since ESR and CRP were tested.

Have I jumped the gun and is there more to come or is it just the way I am reading it?

Many thanks all.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I can't see those either - those results are from the haematology lab but I would have expected ferritin and iron to be with them and they aren't. It doesn't show any of what I would call biochemical medicine results - electrolytes, maybe CRP comes under that in your lab. Is this a download from a results portal? Maybe haematology was quicker off the mark!

[Miserere in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks PMRpro - yes, these are the results I picked up this morning from my surgery portal. I will keep an eye and see if any more come in. The GP seemed to agree to all I asked for so I wondered. Perhaps I have jumped the gun.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Miserere]

Unusual for haematology to be so quick off the mark!!!

[Miserere in reply to PMRpro]

The rest of the results are in now, I think. There are only three things that are obvious queries to me (I won't copy the lot as it's too much for anyone to read through and unfair to expect).

Cortisol level (X771U) 280 nmol/L - I expect this is because I am on 7mg Pred.

Serum vit B - 1,641 ng/L - above high reference limit. It was the same a few years ago (I was taking a supplement then) and I have been taking a supplement in among multi-vit, so will give that up for a while. Told by nutritionist that it was a conversion problem so B12 staying in the blood.

Serum folate level >20 ng/ml [4.6-18.7] - above high reference limit

Calcium adjusted level 2.56 mmol/l [2.2-2.6] - I take Vit D but no calcium

Serum creatinine level 53 umol/L [55-100] - slightly low.

I have tried to look up to check what all these mean - and there are more that I don't understand but it says within normal range so assume that means they're OK.

Any interpretation that makes sense, if you understand it, would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks, M

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Miserere]

That is an impressive cortisol for someone on 7mg!!! Had you taken your pred within 24 hours before the blood was taken? You would usually expect 7mg pred to suppress cortisol production but that isn't bad at all. They are working!

B12 and folate - is there folate in your multivit? The second bottom comment on this is that there is no proof taking supplements makes any difference unless there is a proven deficiency - whatever "nutritionists" aiming to make money suggest. I'd definitely stop it and see if the B12 falls. The creatinine suggesst you don't have a renal problem, I'm surprised you aren't peeing out the extra B12 so they may consider investigating that if it doesn't fall when you stop taking B12,

labtestsonline.org.uk/tests....

Difficult to say HOW high the folate is with the way they report. It might slightly or very much too high.

That's a good creatinine, near enough the bottom of the range - always some wiggle room with lab tests.

[Miserere]

Oh, wonderful to think that the adrenals might be working, even slightly - thank you. I hadn't taken my pred for that day until after the blood test.

I think that explains why my pee is sometimes luminous yellow ... I shall stop both in any supplements and see how that goes. Also great to think that the kidneys might be OK.

I really appreciate the time you've taken to look at these PMRpro - it gives me hope even though I'm stuck at 7mg at the moment.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Miserere]

Ah yes - the yellowness! Hospitals use an infusion of B vitamins for patients they think are likely to be withdrawing from alcohol which depletes B vits in the body - colloquially called the banana bag because of the colour!

No problem - I used to work in the labs so a lot is background knowledge.

[Miserere in reply to PMRpro]

Other good news - HbA1c is down to 34 - last test showed 36. So I have stayed out of pre-diabetes - phew!

Folate - I eat a lot of green, leafy veg plus there is 400ug in the multi-vit, so will cut that out. There is none in the electrolyte salt but there is 5000mcg B12. I tend to run low on sodium so do need the salt.

Thanks again!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Miserere]

Excellent!!!