How to Read Your Checkup Report: A Guide to Common Health Metrics

Why Should You Understand Your Checkup Report?

Annual checkups are a crucial way to understand your health, but many people only look at "normal" or "abnormal" flags without understanding what the numbers mean. Understanding these metrics helps you:

• Detect potential health risks early
• Understand how your lifestyle affects your body
• Communicate more effectively with your doctor

Complete Blood Count (CBC): Your Body's Basic Check

The CBC is the most fundamental test, focusing on three main categories:

White Blood Cells (WBC)

• Normal range: 4.0-10.0 × 10⁹/L
• High: May indicate infection or inflammation
• Low: May suggest compromised immune function

Hemoglobin (Hb)

• Normal range: Men 130-175 g/L, Women 115-150 g/L
• Low: Key indicator of anemia, common in women with heavy periods
• High: May indicate dehydration or other conditions

Platelets (PLT)

• Normal range: 125-350 × 10⁹/L
• Involved in blood clotting; too low means bleeding risk, too high means clot risk

Liver Function: A Window to Liver Health

ALT and AST

• Normal range: 0-40 U/L
• Sensitive indicators of liver cell damage
• Mildly elevated (40-80): May be from late nights, alcohol, medications, or fatty liver
• Significantly elevated (>200): Needs further investigation

💡 Tip: Avoid alcohol and intense exercise the day before your checkup — they can cause false elevations.

Lipid Panel: Key to Cardiovascular Health

Focus on LDL: It's the main driver of atherosclerosis. If elevated:

• Reduce saturated fat (red meat, organ meats)
• Increase soluble fiber (oats, beans)
• At least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week

Blood Sugar: Diabetes Screening

Fasting Glucose

• Normal: 3.9-6.1 mmol/L
• Impaired fasting glucose: 6.1-7.0 mmol/L (pre-diabetes)
• Diabetes: ≥7.0 mmol/L

HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin)

• Reflects average blood sugar over the past 2-3 months
• Normal: <6.0%
• Pre-diabetes: 6.0-6.4%
• Diabetes: ≥6.5%

Uric Acid: Gout Risk Signal

• Normal: Men 150-420 μmol/L, Women 90-360 μmol/L
• Persistently high uric acid can lead to gout and kidney stones
• Tips: Drink more water, limit organ meats and seafood, avoid alcohol (especially beer)

When Should You See a Doctor?

See a doctor promptly if:

• Any metric is significantly abnormal (>2x the normal range)
• The same metric is abnormal on multiple consecutive tests
• Multiple related metrics are abnormal simultaneously
• You have related symptoms (fatigue, weight loss, bleeding, etc.)

How to Track Changes Over Time

A single checkup is just a "snapshot." The real value is in longitudinal comparison — watching how metrics change over time. With Vinora, you can:

• Upload checkup reports with AI auto-recognition of all metrics
• View trends for each metric on a timeline
• Get early warnings when metrics approach abnormal ranges

*This article is for health education only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional with any concerns.*