Understanding Abnormal Lab Results: What Do They Mean?

Question
what is the definition of an abnormal lab. i went to   the indian hospital and they took my blood andthey  sent me a paper stating my labratory test or culture was abnormal. what does this mean

Answer
Amanda,

Some tests performed in the laboratory are reported as "positive" or "negative", while other results are reported based on reference ranges. (A reference range is a range of normal values.) If you had your urine tested for glucose and it came back "positive", that would be abnormal because you shouldn't have glucose in your urine. If you had your blood tested for glucose and the value was above or below the reference range, your results would be abnormal in that situation too because your glucose levels shouldn't be above or below the reference range. If your glucose levels were below the reference range, that would be mean they were too low. If they were above the reference range, that would mean they were too high. Let me know if you have more questions.

- Beth