Labs to Know
Norms for hemoglobin--men and women.
Daily Double--why is expected range for women lower than men? What may cause hemoglobin levels to lower?
Women: 12-16 mg/dL
Men: 14-18 mg/dL
Daily Double: body size, menstruation, etc. Lower hemoglobin levels--anemia, hemorrhage, etc.
The tested lab value signifies Sickle Cell Disease.
What is the presence of HgS?
Describe first stage of HIV, including two symptoms and time frame.
What is the acute infection phase, where the virus is replicating rapidly in the body. Sx: "flu-like" in some patients--fever, swollen glands, sore throat, rash, muscle aches, fatigue. Some patients have no Sx.
Time frame: around 3 months. Sx 2-4 wks after exposure.
Normal ranges for lipids--often altered in liver disease.
LDL, HDL, total cholesterol.
What is:
HDL: above 60
LDL: below 100
Total Cholesterol: below 200
Norms for hematocrit--men and women.
Daily Double: what is hematocrit measuring? Why would lower hemoglobin sometimes mean higher hematocrit?
What is:
Women: 37-47%, Men: 42-52%
DD: If hemoglobin is low, there is a smaller number of RBCs with heme groups to carry oxygen--increasing hematocrit.
The normal range of albumin and total protein, and their significance in liver disease.
What is:
Albumin=3.5-5 g/dL
Total Protein=6.3-7.9 g/dL
Significance: decreased in liver disease, helps maintain vascular osmotic pressure. Decreased=increased risk of fluid extraversion/edema
Describe the second stage (asymptomatic) of HIV, including Sx and time frame.
What is clinical latency phase? CD4 count is more than 500. No symptoms, virus is still slowly multiplying. Time frame without ART--10 years.
Normal range for platelets, and where they are produced.
What is 150-450x10^3/mm3, and in the bone marrow through hematopoiesis?
Norms for red blood cell count in men and women.
Daily Double: Name two factors decreasing RBC production.
What is:
Men: 4.7-6.1 mil/mcL
Women: 4.2-5.4 mil/mcL
DD: bone marrow suppression, kidney disease (acute/chronic), nutrient deficiency
Normal range of blood serum ammonia, and significance in liver disease.
What is 14-45 mcg/dL?
Significance: made by bacteria in gut when processing proteins. Increased levels=irritation of brain, confusion, encephalopathy, coma.
Describe the second stage of HIV (symptomatic), including Sx.
What is the symptomatic phase--CD4 count between 200-500. Viral load increases. Sx increase: constant fever, night sweats, chronic diarrhea, persistent HA, severe fatigue, localized infections.
The lab value that signifies leukopenia.
What is WBC=less than 4x10^3/uL, and ANC=less than 1000/uL?
Why is this important to monitor?
Norms for mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in RBCs.
Daily Double: what do these values indicate about the RBC? About nutritional status?
What is:
Normocytic: 80-95 fL
Normochromic: 27-31 pg/cell
Normal range of bilirubin, and significance in liver disease.
What is 0.1-1 mg/dL?
Significance: produced by destruction of old RBCs. Increased levels=jaundice, poor liver function.
Describe the third stage of HIV (AIDS), and state 2 AIDS diagnostic criteria.
What is one of the following:
CD4 count below 200, AIDS defining opportunistic illness, opportunistic cancers, wasting syndrome (loss of 10% ideal body mass).
Sx: SOB, infections, poor wound healing, AIDS-dementia complex, malignancies, weight loss, N/V/D
What is platelet level below 150x10^3/uL?
Why is this important?
The anemia severity ranges in terms of hemoglobin, from mild to severe.
Daily Double: describe each stage of severity, in terms of symptoms.
What is:
Mild anemia: 10-12 g/dL. Mild fatigue, occasional palpitations.
Moderate: 6-10 g/dL. Bounding pulse, tachycardia, fatigue, dyspnea, "roaring" in ears.
Severe: below 6 g/dL. Fatigue/lethargy, dyspnea at rest, tachypnea, pallor, vertigo, irritation, cold sensitive, bone pain, hepatosplenomegaly, anorexia
Normal range for prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (INR), and significance in liver disease.
What is:
PT: 9.5-13.8 seconds. Indicates clotting time.
INR: below 1.3. Indicates comparison of clotting time to average.
Elevated value=monitor for bleeding risk. Bleeding precautions--which are?
Describe the CD4 count at each stage of HIV, and the normal CD4 count.
Stage 1: above 500
Stage 2: 200-500
Stage 3: under 200
Norm: 800-1,200 cells/mm3
Normal range for WBC.
What is 5-10x10^9/L?