Influence of Pathology on Lab Values

Question 1

RBC

Answer 1

Increase:
• polycythemia • renal disease • pulmonary disease • CV disease
Decrease:
• anemia • hodgkin’s leukemia • sickle cell disease

Question 2

HCT & HGB

Hematocrit & Hemoglobin

Answer 2

Increase:
• dehydration • shock • COPD • CHF • polycythemia
Decrease:
• anemia • leukemia • hyperthyroidism • cirrhosis
• massive trauma

Question 3

WBC

Answer 3

Increase:
• acute infection • neoplasm • leukemia
Decrease:
• bone marrow problem • immunity problem • iron deficiency, ETOH • metastasis • viral infection, AIDS
• chemotherapy

Question 4

ESR

Answer 4

Increase:
• kidney pathology • RA, lupus • thyroid disease • multiple myeloma • inflammation • pregnancy
Decrease:
• CHF • low plasma protein • polycythemia • sickle cell

Question 5

Iron

Answer 5

Increase:
• acute hepatitis • nephrosis
Decrease:
• anemia • lupus, RA • hypothyroidism • 3rd trimester

Question 6

BUN

Blood Urea Nitrogen

Answer 6

Increase:
• kidney pathology • GI bleed • heart failure • high protein diet • dehydration • steroid use
Decrease:
• pregnancy • malnutrition • liver pathology • acromegaly

Question 7

Creatinine

Answer 7

Increase:
• kidney pathology • hyperthyroidism
Decrease:
• loss of muscle mass • aging

Question 8

Uric Acid

Answer 8

Increase:
• gout • arthritis • kidney stones/disease
Decrease:
• chronic kidney disease • low thyroid • toxemia • ETOH

Question 9

CPK

Creatine Phosphokinase

Answer 9

Increase:

• MI • ETOH • skeletal muscle disease

Question 10

LDH

Lactate Dehydrogenase

Answer 10

Increase:
• MI, pulmonary infarct • anemia, leukemia • malignancy
Decrease:
• malnutrition • hypoglycemia

Question 11

GGT (gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase)
AST (SGOT - aspartate aminotransferase)
ALT (SGPT - alanine aminotransferase)

Answer 11

Increase:
• liver pathology •cardiac muscle damage • ETOH
• muscle injury, muscular dystrophy • neoplasm
Decrease:
• malnutrition • Vit B deficiency • pregnancy
• hypothalamism • hypothyroidism

Question 12

Alkaline Phosphatase

Answer 12

Increase:
• growing children • pregnancy • bone/liver pathology
• gallstones
Decrease:
• hypophosphatasia (genetic) • hypoadrenia • malnutrition

Question 13

LDL

Answer 13

Increase:
• atherosclerosis • CHD (coronary heart disease)
Decrease:
• depression, anxiety • violent behaviors, suicide
• hemorrhagic stroke

Question 14

HDL

Answer 14

Increase:
• vigorous exercise • insulin • estrogens
Decrease:
• starvation • obesity, hypothyroidism • smoking • DM (diabetes mellitus), liver disease

Question 15

T4

Answer 15

Increase:
• hyperthyroidism • pregnancy • birth control pill
Decrease:
• hypothyroidism • pituitary Sx