Laboratory Test Encyclopedia
5,000+ tests explained — what it measures, why your doctor ordered it, sample type, fasting rules and how to read the result.
Browse tests
New
AI Report Decoder is live
Understand
Understand
Every Lab Test.
India's most comprehensive laboratory diagnostics knowledge platform. Search any test, biomarker, disease or symptom — get a doctor-reviewed explanation in plain English, then compare NABL lab prices and book in seconds.
Popular
Doctor-reviewed content
NABL-accredited labs only
Reports encrypted & India-hosted
Complete Blood Count
Report · 04 Aug 2026 · Verified
-
Haemoglobin 11.2 g/dL
Slightly low · Ref 12.0–15.5 g/dL
-
Total Leukocyte Count 7,400 /µL
Normal · Ref 4,000–11,000 /µL
-
Platelet Count 2.4 lakh/µL
Normal · Ref 1.5–4.1 lakh/µL
AI summary — Mild anaemia with a normal white cell and platelet picture. A Ferritin and Iron Profile would clarify whether iron deficiency is the cause.
5,000+
Tests
10,000+
Biomarkers
2,000+
Diseases
AI Powered
Grounded answers
- Evidence Based
- Doctor Reviewed
- NABL Labs
- Secure Reports
- AI Powered
- Trusted by Millions
The Platform
One platform for the whole diagnostic journey
Most health sites stop at a definition. LabClues connects the test to the biomarker, the biomarker to the disease, and the disease back to what you should actually do next.
Disease Encyclopedia
2,000+ conditions with causes, staging, red-flag symptoms and the exact panel of tests used to confirm and monitor each one.
Browse diseasesBiomarker Encyclopedia
10,000+ analytes with age-, sex- and pregnancy-specific reference intervals, plus every clinical reason a value drifts high or low.
Browse biomarkersMedical Dictionary
48,000 terms — every abbreviation on an Indian lab report translated, from "MCHC" to "reactive lymphocytosis".
Open dictionarySymptom Checker
Describe what you feel and see which biomarkers clinicians typically investigate — a briefing for your appointment, never a diagnosis.
Check symptomsHealth Packages
Curated panels for age, gender and risk profile — with the full parameter list published up front, not hidden behind a price.
See packagesPrice Comparison
The same test can vary 4× across labs in one city. Compare price, accreditation, method and turnaround before you commit.
Compare labsHome Collection
Certified phlebotomists across 180+ cities, 6 AM–8 PM slots, live tracking and a cold-chain-verified sample handover.
Book a slotDigital Reports
Every parameter parsed, colour-coded against your reference range and annotated in plain language — not a flat PDF.
See a sampleHealth Timeline
Upload reports from any lab, going back years. LabClues normalises the units and plots each biomarker as one continuous trend.
View timelineAI Assistant
Ask anything about a test or result. Answers are drawn only from reviewed LabClues articles, and every claim links to its source.
Ask the assistantDoctor Consultation
Share your parsed report with a verified physician and get a 15-minute video review of what the numbers mean for you.
Talk to a doctorCorporate Health
Annual screening for whole teams with on-site camps and de-identified, aggregate-only dashboards for HR.
For employersResearch Library
Guidelines from ICMR, WHO, ADA and NABL alongside the primary literature behind every reference range we publish.
Read the evidenceMedical Videos
Two-minute animated explainers in English and Hindi — how blood is drawn, what a centrifuge does, why fasting changes a result.
Watch explainers
Test Encyclopedia
All 5,000+ tests
Most searched lab tests in India
Every page states the sample, preparation, fasting requirement and turnaround before you scroll — because that's what people actually came to find out.
Complete Blood Count
CBC · Haemogram
Measures red cells, white cells, platelets and haemoglobin. The single broadest screen for anaemia, infection and clotting disorders.
- Preparation
- Prep: None. Stay hydrated; avoid heavy exercise before the draw.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 6 hours
HbA1c
Glycated Haemoglobin
Your average blood sugar over the last 8–12 weeks. The reference standard for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes.
- Preparation
- Prep: Mention recent transfusion or known haemoglobinopathy.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 12 hours
Vitamin D
25-Hydroxy Vitamin D
Deficiency affects an estimated 7 in 10 urban Indians. Drives bone health, immunity, muscle strength and mood.
- Preparation
- Prep: Pause high-dose D supplements 24 h before, if your doctor agrees.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 24 hours
Vitamin B12
Cobalamin, Serum
Essential for nerve function and red cell formation. Commonly low in vegetarians, metformin users and adults over 60.
- Preparation
- Prep: Test before starting B12 injections — treatment invalidates the result.
- Fasting
- Fasting: 6–8 hours preferred
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 24 hours
TSH
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
The first-line thyroid screen. Sensitive enough to catch hypo- and hyperthyroidism long before symptoms become obvious.
- Preparation
- Prep: Draw before 10 AM; take thyroxine only after the sample.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 12 hours
Lipid Profile
Cholesterol Panel
Total, LDL, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides — the core inputs to any cardiovascular risk calculation.
- Preparation
- Prep: No alcohol for 24 h; keep to your usual diet for 3 days.
- Fasting
- Fasting: 9–12 hours required
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 8 hours
Liver Function Test
LFT · Hepatic Panel
SGPT, SGOT, bilirubin, ALP, albumin and protein — detects fatty liver, hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury.
- Preparation
- Prep: Avoid alcohol and paracetamol for 48 h; list all medicines.
- Fasting
- Fasting: 8–10 hours preferred
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 8 hours
Kidney Function Test
KFT · RFT · Renal Panel
Creatinine, urea, uric acid, electrolytes and calculated eGFR — how efficiently your kidneys are filtering right now.
- Preparation
- Prep: Skip high-protein meals and creatine supplements for 24 h.
- Fasting
- Fasting: 8 hours preferred
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 8 hours
Iron Profile
Iron · TIBC · Transferrin
Separates iron-deficiency anaemia from anaemia of chronic disease — the distinction that decides the treatment.
- Preparation
- Prep: Morning draw; stop iron tablets 48 h prior with doctor's approval.
- Fasting
- Fasting: 10–12 hours required
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 24 hours
Ferritin
Serum Ferritin
Your body's iron reserve. Falls before haemoglobin does, so it catches deficiency months earlier than a CBC alone.
- Preparation
- Prep: Defer during active infection — ferritin rises with inflammation.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Within 24 hours
CRP
C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP)
Rises within hours of inflammation. Used to track infection severity and, as hs-CRP, to refine cardiac risk.
- Preparation
- Prep: None. Note any recent injury, surgery or vaccination.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 6 hours
ESR
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
A slower, non-specific marker of chronic inflammation. Valuable in TB, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune follow-up.
- Preparation
- Prep: None. Sample must be run within 2 hours of collection.
- Fasting
- Fasting: Not required
- Turnaround
- Report: Same day, within 4 hours
Biomarker Encyclopedia
A reference range is not one number
Normal haemoglobin for a 32-year-old woman is not normal for a 68-year-old man, and neither matches the third trimester of pregnancy. LabClues stores every interval by age, sex, pregnancy status and assay method — then applies the one that actually fits you.
- Method-aware. CLIA, ELISA and HPLC assays don't share a scale — we say which one produced your number.
- Interference-aware. Biotin, haemolysis and recent transfusion each get an explicit flag.
- Indian population data. Ranges validated against ICMR cohorts, not imported wholesale from Western textbooks.
Haemoglobin
HbOxygen-carrying protein in red cells.
Men13.0–17.0 g/dL
Women12.0–15.5 g/dL
Pregnancy11.0–14.0 g/dL
TSH
mIU/LPituitary signal driving the thyroid.
Adults0.4–4.0
1st trimester0.1–2.5
Age 70+0.5–7.5
Vitamin D
ng/mL25-OH storage form, the one worth measuring.
Deficient< 20
Insufficient20–29
Sufficient30–100
HbA1c
%Three-month glycaemic average.
Normal< 5.7
Prediabetes5.7–6.4
Diabetes≥ 6.5
Disease Encyclopedia
From condition to the right panel
Each condition page names the exact tests used to confirm it, monitor it and catch its complications — reviewed against ICMR, WHO and specialty-society guidance.
Diabetes Mellitus
Chronic high blood glucose from insufficient insulin or insulin resistance. India has 101 million people living with it.
Tests recommended
HbA1c
FBS
OGTT
Urine ACR
Thyroid Disorders
Hypo- and hyperthyroidism alter metabolism, weight, mood and fertility. Roughly 1 in 10 Indian adults is affected.
Tests recommended
TSH
Free T3/T4
Anti-TPO
Heart Disease
Coronary artery disease presents a decade earlier in South Asians. Lipids and inflammation drive the risk long before symptoms.
Tests recommended
Lipid Profile
hs-CRP
Lp(a)
Troponin I
Kidney Disease
CKD is silent until roughly 60% of function is lost. Diabetes and hypertension are the two leading causes in India.
Tests recommended
KFT
eGFR
Urine ACR
Cystatin C
Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver now affects around a third of urban Indian adults, most of them entirely without symptoms.
Tests recommended
LFT
GGT
Fibroscan
HBsAg
Cancer Screening
Tumour markers support diagnosis and monitoring — they don't replace imaging or biopsy, and we say so on every page.
Tests recommended
CA-125
PSA
CEA
AFP
PCOD / PCOS
Affects up to 1 in 5 Indian women of reproductive age. Irregular cycles, insulin resistance and elevated androgens.
Tests recommended
LH / FSH
Testosterone
AMH
Insulin
Hypertension
Around 220 million Indians have raised blood pressure; fewer than a quarter have it under control.
Tests recommended
KFT
Electrolytes
Lipids
Aldosterone
Anaemia
Over half of Indian women aged 15–49 are anaemic. Iron, B12 and folate deficiency need very different treatment.
Tests recommended
CBC
Ferritin
Iron Profile
B12
Dengue
Monsoon-season viral fever. Falling platelets and rising haematocrit — tracked daily — signal the critical phase.
Tests recommended
NS1 Antigen
IgM / IgG
CBC
Platelets
Health Packages
Panels built around people, not price points
Every parameter is listed before you pay. No "80 tests included" headline hiding forty duplicate calculations.
Essential Health Check
A yearly baseline for healthy adults aged 20–40 with no known condition.
₹1,299₹2,600
52 parameters · Free home collection
- Complete Blood Count (24 parameters)
- Fasting Blood Sugar & HbA1c
- Lipid Profile & Liver Function
- Kidney Function & TSH
- Urine Routine & Microscopy
Advanced Full Body
For adults 35+ or anyone with a family history of diabetes, thyroid or cardiac disease.
₹2,499₹5,400
92 parameters · Free doctor call included
- Everything in Essential
- Complete Thyroid Profile (T3, T4, TSH)
- Vitamin D, B12 & Iron Profile
- hs-CRP & Electrolytes
- 15-min physician report review
Women's Wellness
Built around anaemia, thyroid, PCOS and bone health — the four most commonly missed in Indian women.
₹2,199₹4,700
78 parameters · Female phlebotomist on request
- CBC, Ferritin & full Iron Profile
- Thyroid Profile with Anti-TPO
- LH, FSH, Prolactin & AMH
- Vitamin D, Calcium & Vitamin B12
- HbA1c & Fasting Insulin
Symptom Checker
Start with a symptom.
Start with a symptom.
Arrive prepared.
See which biomarkers clinicians typically investigate for what you're feeling — so you walk into the consultation knowing what to ask.
Common:
This is not a diagnosis. The symptom checker shows tests commonly ordered in clinical practice — it cannot examine you. For chest pain, breathlessness, one-sided weakness, uncontrolled bleeding or a fever above 103°F, seek emergency care immediately.
AI Health Assistant
Ask your report anything
Trained on the LabClues knowledge graph — not the open internet. It answers only from doctor-reviewed articles, cites the source for every claim, and declines anything that would require examining you.
-
Reads your actual PDF
Upload a report from any Indian lab. Parameters, units and reference ranges are extracted automatically.
-
Cites its sources
Every answer links to the reviewed article and the guideline it came from. Nothing is asserted without a reference.
-
Knows its limits
It will not diagnose, prescribe or adjust a dose — and it routes red-flag symptoms straight to emergency guidance.
LabClues AI
Online · Grounded in 100k+ reviewed articles
Try asking
LabClues AI provides educational information only. It does not diagnose or prescribe — always confirm with your doctor.
Compare Labs
Same test. Very different price.
Live pricing for a Complete Blood Count in Bengaluru. Every lab shown holds a current NABL ISO 15189 accreditation.
Bengaluru 560103
·
| Laboratory | Price | Rating | Home Collection | Report Time | ActionBook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
MP
MedPath Diagnostics NABL MC-2841 · Whitefield |
₹249 Lowest | 4.7 (2,841) | Free | 6 hours | Book |
|
AL
Aster Labs NABL MC-1932 · Koramangala |
₹299 | 4.8 (5,204) | Free | 4 hours | Book |
|
SD
Sanjeevini Diagnostics NABL MC-3410 · Jayanagar |
₹340 | 4.5 (1,120) | ₹100 | 8 hours | Book |
|
PC
PrecisionCare Labs NABL MC-2207 · Indiranagar |
₹399 | 4.9 (3,675) | Free | 3 hours | Book |
|
HD
Healthwell Diagnostics NABL MC-4188 · HSR Layout |
₹450 | 4.4 (892) | Free | 12 hours | Book |
Prices are indicative and refreshed daily. LabClues earns a fixed platform fee — never a percentage — so ranking is never sold.
Health Timeline
Your results, told as one story
A single reading is a snapshot. A trend is information. Here's how one real-world anaemia work-up unfolds on LabClues.
-
12 Jan 2026
Complete Blood Count
Haemoglobin 11.2 g/dL with low MCV. Mild microcytic anaemia flagged automatically.
-
12 Jan 2026
Vitamin D
18 ng/mL — deficient. Added to the same draw, so no second needle.
-
12 Jan 2026
HbA1c
5.4% — normal. Ruled out diabetes as a contributor to the fatigue.
-
12 Jan 2026
Lipid Profile
LDL 118 mg/dL, HDL 42 mg/dL. Borderline — plotted against the last three years.
-
19 Jan 2026
Ferritin — reflex test
9 ng/mL. Confirms iron deficiency as the cause. Suggested by the platform, ordered by the doctor.
-
20 Jan 2026
Consolidated Report
All five tests merged into one annotated document, ready to share with any physician.
-
22 Jan 2026
Doctor Consultation
Oral iron with vitamin C started; dietary and absorption guidance recorded on the timeline.
-
22 Apr 2026 · Completed
Follow-up CBC & Ferritin
Haemoglobin 13.4 g/dL, ferritin 46 ng/mL. Resolved — and the trend line proves it.
The largest medical knowledge graph in India
Every entity is linked — a symptom to a biomarker, a biomarker to a test, a test to a disease, a disease back to a guideline.
- 0
- Tests
- 0
- Biomarkers
- 0
- Diseases
- 0
- Medical Articles
- 0
- Partner Labs
Why LabClues
Built like a medical reference, not a shopping site
Evidence Based
Every reference range traces to a named guideline or primary study. Citations are visible on the page, not buried in a policy.
AI Powered
Retrieval-grounded answers drawn strictly from reviewed LabClues content — so the assistant can't invent a reference range.
Largest Knowledge Graph
1.4 million relationships connecting symptoms, biomarkers, tests, conditions and drugs — the reason one search answers four questions.
Expert Reviewed
142 MD pathologists, endocrinologists and physicians review our content. Reviewer name, registration number and review date appear on every article.
Interactive Reports
Tap any parameter to see what it means, why it moved and what typically comes next. Units are normalised across labs automatically.
Smart Recommendations
Guideline-based reflex suggestions — a low MCV prompts ferritin, a high TSH prompts free T4 — surfaced for your doctor to approve.
How It Works
Seven steps, start to follow-up
-
STEP 01
Search
Type a test name, a symptom or the abbreviation printed on your prescription.
-
STEP 02
Understand
Read what it measures, why it was ordered and how to prepare — in plain English or Hindi.
-
STEP 03
Compare
Weigh price, accreditation, method and turnaround across every NABL lab near you.
-
STEP 04
Book
Pick a home-collection slot or a walk-in centre. Prep reminders are sent automatically.
-
STEP 05
Track
Follow the phlebotomist live, then the sample itself — collection, transit, lab receipt, analysis.
-
STEP 06
View Reports
Get a parsed, colour-coded report with every abnormal value explained — not a flat scan.
-
STEP 07
Follow Up
Retest reminders at the interval the guideline recommends, with results plotted as a trend.
-
Start in 30 seconds
No account needed to read the encyclopedia. Ever.
Medical Library
All articles
Written by clinicians. Read by everyone.
Test Preparation
6 min read
Fasting before a blood test: which tests actually need it
Most people fast unnecessarily — and a few skip fasting when it genuinely matters. Here is the evidence, test by test.
AK
Dr. Ananya Kulkarni
MD Pathology · 28 Jul 2026
Diabetes
9 min read
Prediabetes: what a 6.1% HbA1c really means
It is not "almost diabetic". It is the window in which lifestyle change still reverses the trajectory for most people.
RM
Dr. Rohan Mehta
DM Endocrinology · 21 Jul 2026
Anaemia
7 min read
Normal haemoglobin, empty iron stores: why ferritin matters
Fatigue and hair fall can appear months before haemoglobin drops. Ferritin is the earlier signal, and it is routinely skipped.
SN
Dr. Sneha Nair
MD Haematology · 14 Jul 2026
Testimonials
Trusted by both sides of the consultation
4.9 average
·
38,400+ verified reviews
"I send patients to LabClues before their appointment. They arrive understanding what a raised ALT means, so the consult is spent on management rather than definitions."
Dr. Vikram Sharma
MD Internal Medicine, New Delhi
"Three years of reports from four different labs, finally in one place with matching units. Watching my ferritin climb from 9 to 46 kept me on the treatment."
Priya Raghunathan
Product Manager, Bengaluru
"Sample rejections fell 31% in six months. Patients now arrive having actually fasted, because the prep instructions reach them before the appointment."
Meera Pillai
Lab Director, MedPath Diagnostics
"I recommend it to every nursing student. The method and interference notes on each biomarker page are more current than the textbook we were issued."
Anjali Fernandes
Clinical Educator, Mumbai
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Still unclear on something? Our medical content team replies to every query within one working day.
Ask our medical teamLabClues is first and foremost a medical knowledge platform. Booking is one feature among many — the core product is an encyclopedia of laboratory tests, biomarkers and diseases that helps you understand what a test measures, why it was ordered and what your result means.
Yes. Every article is written against peer-reviewed sources and clinical guidelines, then reviewed by an MD Pathologist or the relevant specialist before publication. Each page carries the reviewer's name, registration number and the last-reviewed date.
No. LabClues explains tests, biomarkers and conditions in plain language so you can have a better conversation with your doctor. It does not provide a diagnosis, prescribe treatment or replace a qualified clinician.
The assistant is grounded in the LabClues medical knowledge graph. It answers only from reviewed content, cites the article it drew from, and refuses questions that require a clinical diagnosis. Answers are never generated from unverified web sources.
Every partner lab listed for booking holds a valid NABL ISO 15189 accreditation, which we re-verify each quarter against the NABL public directory. Accreditation scope and certificate number are shown on each lab profile.
It depends on the test. Fasting Glucose and Lipid Profile typically need 8–12 hours of fasting, while CBC, HbA1c, TSH and Vitamin D do not. Every test page on LabClues states the fasting requirement, sample type and turnaround time up front.
Reports are encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS 1.3, stored on servers located in India, and are never sold or shared with advertisers or insurers. You can export or permanently delete your data at any time from your account.
The entire encyclopedia — tests, diseases, biomarkers, the medical dictionary and the symptom checker — is free forever. You pay only for a diagnostic test if you choose to book one through a partner lab.
Yes. Upload a PDF or photo from any lab in India and LabClues will extract the parameters, map them to reference ranges, plot them on your health timeline and explain each abnormal value.
Home collection is live in 180+ cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Lucknow, with slots from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM and live phlebotomist tracking.