Look up a blood value
A blood value shows how your body is doing on the inside. You will find them all here in one place, with no referral from a GP. Pick a value and read its reference range. You also see what an abnormal result can mean.
Build your own blood test with exactly the biomarkers you need.
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LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase)
LDH is an enzyme found in almost every cell in your body. Its full name is lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). This test measures how much LDH your blood contains. When cells break down, LDH spills into your bloodstream. So a raised LDH means cell damage happened somewhere. It does not say where, and it says nothing about how serious it is. A normal value sits around 120 to 250 U/L in most laboratories. If your result is higher, the cause is far more often harmless than serious.
LDL Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol travelling around inside LDL particles. Those particles can get stuck in the wall of your blood vessels, which is why LDL is popularly called the bad cholesterol. Two things nobody tends to mention. Your LDL is usually not measured but calculated from three other values on the same report. And the 3.0 mmol/l limit printed underneath is not a goal, it is a picture of the average population. Whether your number is too high depends on your risk: your age, your blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and what runs in your family. Here is what your result means, in plain words.
LDL/HDL Ratio
The LDL/HDL ratio is your LDL divided by your HDL, and below 3 is usually called fine. Do not mix it up with your cholesterol ratio. That one puts total cholesterol on the top line and its limit sits around 5. Two numbers, two scales. A 4 is tidy on one scale and too high on the other. This is also an old number. Guidelines do not steer by it. And a fraction hides the values it came from: two people with exactly the same ratio can carry very different amounts of LDL. So always look at the numbers underneath.
LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
LH is a pituitary hormone that plays a central role in reproductive health for both men and women. As part of a comprehensive hormonal assessment, monitoring LH can help evaluate pituitary and gonadal function.
Lactase Genotyping
Lactase Genotyping provides a definitive genetic answer about your ability to digest lactose. This one-time test guides personalised dietary decisions.
Lactate
Resting lactate levels can indicate metabolic efficiency and tissue oxygenation. Including this marker supports a thorough metabolic health assessment.
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
The lamotrigine test monitors blood levels of this anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer, as prescribed by your doctor. As part of comprehensive health monitoring, this test helps ensure your medication levels remain within the therapeutic range.
Lead
As part of comprehensive health screening, a lead blood test helps you understand your environmental exposure to this toxic metal. Identifying lead levels early is key to protecting your long-term well-being.
Leptin
Leptin testing offers insight into your appetite regulation system. As part of a metabolic health panel, it helps identify leptin resistance and guides lifestyle interventions.
Leukocyte Differential
A leukocyte differential test measures the relative proportions of different types of white blood cells in your blood. It provides a detailed breakdown of your immune cell populations, offering valuable insight into your immune system's function.
Leukocytes (WBC)
Seeing "leukocytes" on your blood result and wondering whether your number is fine? Leukocytes are your white blood cells, the ones that clear up infections. The leukocyte count says how many of them are in your blood. At the laboratory that runs the test the ordinary adult range runs from 4.3 to 10.0 x10^9/L. Other labs use slightly different limits, so always check the reference value on your own result. Is your number just above or below it? That is often temporary and harmless. A cold, stress, smoking or not drinking enough already shift it.
Lipase
Lipase testing provides a specific assessment of pancreatic function. As the preferred marker for diagnosing pancreatitis, regular monitoring supports early detection and informed health decisions.
Lipoprotein(a)
Almost every blood value you have taken will need taking again sooner or later. Your cholesterol shifts, your blood sugar shifts, your iron shifts. Lp(a) does not. Lp(a), short for lipoprotein(a), is a cholesterol-carrying particle with an extra protein attached to it. How much of it you have in your blood is more than 90 percent written into your DNA. It is set early in life and barely changes afterwards, no matter how you eat or how much you move. That is why this is a test you do once. You learn a number that is yours and that stays yours. And that number tells you something your ordinary cholesterol test does not show.
Lithium
The lithium test monitors blood levels of this mood stabilizer, as prescribed by your doctor. As part of a comprehensive health assessment, this test helps ensure your medication levels remain within the narrow therapeutic window for optimal safety and effectiveness.
Liver Function Test (LFT)
A liver function test offers a comprehensive overview of how well your liver is performing. Regular screening helps detect potential issues early and supports proactive, informed health management.
Lupus Anticoagulant
Lupus anticoagulant testing identifies one of the strongest predictors of thrombosis. Including it in a comprehensive screen provides critical clotting risk information.
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes are white blood cells central to your defence against viruses and to immune memory. They are part of your complete blood count. A high count often fits a viral infection, while a low count can occur with stress, certain infections or medications.
MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin)
MCH is the average amount of haemoglobin in one red blood cell, calculated from your haemoglobin and red cell count. A low value often points to iron deficiency, a high value to a B12 or folate shortage. Learn what your MCH can mean.
MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration)
MCHC is the average concentration of haemoglobin inside your red blood cells, calculated from your haemoglobin and haematocrit. A low value fits iron deficiency; a raised value is rare and usually checked before it is acted on. Learn what your MCHC can mean.
MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume)
MCV is the average size of a single red blood cell, measured in femtolitres (fl). The normal MCV range for adults is 80 to 100 fl, so if your result sits between those two numbers, your MCV value is normal. Below 80 fl your red cells are smaller than average; above 100 fl they are larger. Those three branches decide which value you check next: ferritin if the cells are small, vitamin B12 and folate if they are large. A result of 89, 92 or 94 fl is ordinary. This page explains in plain words what your number means and when it is worth acting on.
Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency is widespread and often undetected. Proactive testing helps ensure adequate levels for heart, muscle, and nerve health.
Magnesium (Intracellular)
Intracellular magnesium testing detects deficiencies that serum tests may miss, enabling earlier intervention for muscle, heart, and nerve health.
Measles IgG
A Measles IgG test detects IgG antibodies against the measles virus in your blood. The presence of IgG antibodies typically indicates past infection or successful vaccination, suggesting immunity to measles.
Melatonin
Melatonin is your body's sleep-regulating hormone and plays a broader role in antioxidant defense and immune support. As part of a comprehensive health assessment, monitoring melatonin can provide insight into your circadian rhythm health.
What are blood values?
Blood values are the substances a laboratory measures in your blood. Think of haemoglobin, cholesterol, glucose and thyroid hormones. Each value comes back as a number with a unit. A reference range is printed beside it.
That reference range is the band most healthy people fall within. A result outside it is called an abnormal value. Abnormal does not mean ill. It is mainly a signal that needs context.
Why have your blood values measured?
A doctor orders blood work for several reasons. To make a diagnosis, or to rule something out. To look for the cause of a complaint. Or to follow how a treatment is working.
You can also have your blood values measured yourself, without a referral from a GP. People do this when they are tired for no clear reason. Or when they want to know how their liver, kidneys and metabolism are doing. A baseline is also useful if you want to compare later.
Which blood values are measured most often?
Most testing comes down to a handful of groups. The blood count measures your red cells, white cells and platelets. Liver values and kidney values show how those organs are working.
The thyroid, the vitamins and iron are also measured often. Cholesterol and glucose belong to the heart and metabolic profile. Inflammatory values show whether there is inflammation somewhere in your body. You can filter by category above.
What counts as a normal blood value?
There is no single list of normal values that applies everywhere. Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. This comes down to differences in method, equipment and the groups studied. So always read the reference range printed on your own result.
Age and sex matter too. Haemoglobin runs higher in men than in women on average. Children have different numbers again. Every value page above carries the range that belongs to it.
How do you read your result?
A single value says little on its own. Doctors look at the pattern across several values. A raised ALT alongside a raised gamma-GT points somewhere different than a raised ALT alone.
When you test through us, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your results in context. So you get back more than numbers. Always discuss treatment decisions with your GP.
Where do you get your blood drawn?
We work with independent, certified laboratories across the Netherlands. The collection points are run by those laboratories. You do not need a referral from a GP.
You choose which blood values you have measured. After the draw you get your result back digitally, with an explanation per value.
Frequently asked questions about blood values
- Which blood values are normal?
- That differs per value, per laboratory and per person. Reference ranges depend on the method used, your age and your sex. Look the value up above and read the range that belongs to it. Always compare it against the reference range on your own result.
- Which blood value indicates cancer?
- General blood work is not a suitable way to detect cancer. An abnormal value can have many different causes. Separate screening programmes exist for bowel, breast and cervical cancer. If your complaints persist, see your GP.
- What are perfect blood values?
- Perfect blood values do not exist. A reference range is a band, not a target number. Someone can sit at the edge of that band and be entirely healthy. What your values mean depends on your complaints and your history.
- Which blood value indicates inflammation?
- CRP is the most widely used inflammatory value in the Netherlands. The sedimentation rate, also called ESR, is used alongside it and responds more slowly. Both show that inflammation is present somewhere. Neither says where in your body it sits.
Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.