Laboratory Values
Usually, in reports of clinical or laboratory data, the substance per se is not reported; rather, a value is given that was obtained by measuring a substance or some function or constituent of it. For example, one does not report hemoglobin but hemoglobin level. Some other correct forms are as follows:
differential white blood cell count
agglutination titer
prothrombin time
pulse rate
erythrocyte sedimentation rate
total serum cholesterol value or level or concentration
increase in antibody level
creatinine level or clearance
serum phosphorus concentration
increase in bilirubin level
platelet count
24-hour urine output or volume
antinuclear antibody titer
mean corpuscular volume
hemagglutination inhibition titer
high-density lipoprotein fraction
urinary placental growth factor concentration
urinary protein excretion
In reports of findings from clinical examinations or laboratory values, data may be enumerated without repeating value, level, etc, in accordance with the following example:
Laboratory studies disclosed the following values: alkaline phosphatase, 722 U/L; serum creatinine, 4 mg/dL; serum urea nitrogen, 148 mg/dL; γ-glutamyltransferase, 138 U/L; prothrombin time, 15.3 seconds; and partial thromboplastin time, 48.8 seconds. Immunoglobulin concentrations were normal except for IgA levels of 6.7 g/L and λ chain concentrations of 383 mg/dL.