What Is a Normal Blood Test Result for Children?
Routine blood tests are an important part of childhood cancer treatment. On this page, we go over common blood tests and the values for healthy children. This way, you can compare your child’s blood test results to the ones listed below to see if they fall into the healthy range.
Values for healthy children
Your child will have numerous blood, liver function, kidney function, electrolyte, and mineral tests. We have listed a general healthy value range for each test in the table below.
| Blood Test Type | Values for Healthy Children |
|---|---|
| Hemoglobin (Hgb) | 11.5 to 13.5 g/100 mL |
| Hematocrit (HCT) | 34 to 40% |
| Red blood cells (RBCs) | 3.9 to 5.3 million/cm3 or 3.9 to 5.3 x 1012/L |
| Platelets | 160,000 to 380,000/mm3 |
| White blood cells (WBCs) | 5,000 to 15,000/mm3 or 5 to 15 K/uL |
| WBC differential: | |
| Segmented neutrophils | 40 to 70% |
| Band neutrophils | 1.5 to 8% |
| Basophils | <0.3% |
| Eosinophils | <0.5% |
| Lymphocytes | 20 to 50% |
| Monocytes | 2 to 10% |
| Liver function tests | |
| ALT (sometimes called SGPT) | 0 to 48 IU/L |
| AST (sometimes called SGOT) | 0 to 36 IU/L |
| Bilirubin (total) | 0.3 to 1.3 mg/dL |
| Direct (conjugated) | 0.1 to 0.4 mg/dL |
| Indirect (unconjugated) | 0.2 to 1.88 mg/dL |
| Kidney function tests | |
| Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) | 6 to 20 mg/dL |
| Creatinine | 0.5 to 1.5 mg/dL |
| Electrolytes | |
| Glucose | 70 to 115 mEq/L |
| Potassium | 3.5 to 5.0 mEq/L |
| Sodium | 135 to 145 mEq/L |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium | 8.5 to 10.5 mg/dL |
| Magnesium | 1.5 to 2.9 mg/dL |
However, please remember that several factors should also be considered when looking at your child’s results:
- Each laboratory has slightly different reference values for each type of blood test, so your doctor may use different reference ranges.
- Children may have different healthy ranges due to their age. For example, children aged 0 to 4 years may have lower granulocytes and higher lymphocytes than the numbers listed above.
- Children have a unique pattern of blood counts, and you should consider their baseline and previous blood test results when looking at new lab work.
Values for children with cancer
During your child’s treatment, doctors can compare your child’s blood test results to those of a healthy child and track your child’s blood test results over time. The information they gather from these results can help them see how effective your child’s treatment is, and they can adjust the treatment plan as needed.
While undergoing treatment for childhood cancer, your child’s blood test results can fluctuate:
- WBCs can go down to zero or be above normal.
- RBCs may go down periodically during treatment, necessitating transfusions of packed red cells.
- Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) are closely watched, as they give doctors an idea of your child’s ability to fight infections.
Doctors should look at all of your child’s bloodwork results, as trends are more important than any single value. For example, if the values of your child’s blood test were 5.0, 4.7, and 4.9, then the second result (4.7) was insignificant. However, if the values were 5.0, 4.7, and 4.3, then the trend would indicate a decrease in the cell line. This is why regular blood tests are so important.
Doctors consider all blood test results before deciding on a course of action. They should be willing to explain the results and what they mean, discuss their proposed treatment plan, and answer any questions you have so that you can better understand what is happening.
This page was adapted from the content in our childhood cancer guides, which contain information about specific cancer types, procedures, treatments, and more. The guides are available for free on our website, and childhood cancer families can request a free PDF or print copy.
