How to read a Labcorp blood test report
Labcorp reports pack a lot into a few columns. This guide explains each part of a typical Labcorp PDF report.
The header
- Date Collected: when your blood was drawn. This is the date that matters for your results.
- Date Received / Date Reported: when the lab received the sample and released the results (some tests take days or weeks).
- Fasting: whether you were fasting, which matters for glucose, insulin and triglycerides.
- Ordered Items: the panels your clinician ordered (for example a lipid panel or a CMP).
The results table
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Test | The name of the test, e.g. “LDL Chol Calc (NIH)” (LDL cholesterol, calculated with the NIH equation). |
| Current Result and Flag | Your result. High or Low appears next to it when it is outside the reference interval. |
| Previous Result and Date | Your most recent earlier result for the same test at Labcorp (within the past 5 years), with its date. Handy for spotting changes. |
| Units | The unit of the result, e.g. mg/dL, uIU/mL, x10E3/uL. |
| Reference Interval | Labcorp's range for that test, for your age and sex. “>39” means above 39; “Not Estab.” means no range is established. |
The small codes
- 01, 02, 03… above a test: the laboratory that performed it. The codes are listed under Performing Labs at the end of the report.
- A, B… (for example “A,02”): a footnote, listed under Footnotes or Comments, often “This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Labcorp”.
- An asterisk on a previous result (e.g. “12.7*”): the reference interval has changed since that earlier test. The old interval is printed below the table.
Notes and extra pages
- Please Note blocks add interpretation, such as prediabetes and diabetes thresholds for A1c, or risk categories for lipids.
- Some ranges appear only in a note, e.g. “Reference Range: Adult Male: 30 - 85” for dihydrotestosterone.
- Historical Results & Insights pages at the end chart some of your past results.
Keeping track over time
The “Previous Result” column only shows one earlier value, from Labcorp only. To see all your results over the years, from every lab, on one chart per marker, you can import your Labcorp PDFs into UnitedMarkers. The previous-result column is recognised and ignored, so only the current results are added.
More guides
This guide is educational and does not replace advice from a healthcare professional.