VitaspanA lab report usually shows four things next to each test: your result, its unit, the lab's reference range and, when the result falls outside that range, a flag.
The reference range
The range is what that lab considers typical for people like you. Labs set their own ranges, from their methods and equipment, so the same test can have a slightly different range at another lab. Some ranges also change with age or sex. That's why a result is always read against the range printed next to it, by the same lab.
The flag
A flag marks a result outside the lab's range: often H for high and L for low, an arrow, an asterisk, or alto and bajo on reports in Spanish. Some labs also mark results close to a limit. A flag means "outside this lab's range". It doesn't say what the result means for you.
What a result means for you
That's for your doctor to say. Your history, your medications, how you felt that day and how the result has moved over time all matter, and a result inside the range can still be worth a question. Write down what you want to ask, for example:
- Is this something to act on, or something to keep an eye on?
- How does it compare with my earlier results?
- Should it be repeated, and when?
In Vitaspan
Add a report as a PDF or a photo, in any language. With Vitaspan Plus, Claude reads it: each result shows with the flag and the range your lab printed, your results from different labs share one chart over time, and your questions wait on your doctor's page for the next visit. What Claude writes isn't medical advice: talk it over with your doctor.
