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Blood test results: what does my abnormal result mean?

“There’s a note on my blood test results, which sounds as if something is wrong, but no one has contacted me. Should I be worried?”

A headshot of Shona Holding in an office.
by  Shona Holding, Cardiac Nurse
Blood test result print out
A headshot of Shona Holding in an office.
by  Shona Holding, Cardiac Nurse

Shona Holding, Community Cardiac Nurse Specialist, says:

If you’ve been sent a printout of your blood test results, or you’ve seen them on your electronic patient records, you can sometimes see flags or notes by the result.

Depending on what your blood test was for, examples could be ‘borderline diabetes ’, ‘high cardiovascular risk’ or ‘acute kidney injury warning’. These are usually notes which the computer generates if a blood test result is abnormal, or out of ‘normal range’.

Understandably, this can make you feel worried. But you can be reassured that these flags will be reviewed by your GP or other health professional, who will let you know if there is a cause for concern. The computer will generate flags or notes even if your results are very slightly out of normal range, and it could be that if you had the same test again, it may fall within the normal range.

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If further action is needed, they will either ask for a repeat test or for you to be seen by the nurse or a GP. You may need more tests, new medication or a change to your medication.

If your results show an urgent concern, you will be contacted quickly. Sometimes your health professional may decide that – taking into account what is already known about your health – no further action is needed. This may be recorded as ‘abnormal but expected’.

If you’re worried about what the result means and no one has contacted you, get in touch with your GP surgery to ask. 

Meet the expertHeadshot of Shona Holding in an office.

Shona Holding worked as a cardiac nurse in the NHS for many years. She specialised in arrhythmia care and worked as an advanced cardiovascular nurse practitioner before taking up the role of cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation helpline.

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To find out more, or to support British Heart Foundation’s work, please visit www.bhf.org.uk. You can speak to one of our cardiac nurses by calling our helpline on 0808 802 1234 (freephone), Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For general customer service enquiries, please call 0300 330 3322, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

British Heart Foundation is a registered Charity No. 225971. Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No. 699547. Registered office at Greater London House, 180 Hampstead Road, London NW1 7AW. Registered as a Charity in Scotland No. SC039426