PTMERHI ONE — LABS
Learn what common tests measure, what can change them, which questions they may help answer, and where their limits begin.
The lab map
A result becomes more useful when it is interpreted with related markers, clinical context, prior values, and the reason the test was ordered.
Total cholesterol · LDL-C · HDL-C · triglycerides · non-HDL-C · ApoB · Lp(a)
Understand LDL-C, ApoB and Lp(a), with a 2026 evidence update and guidance for readers in the U.S., Europe and Brazil. These related markers are not interchangeable and do not replace an overall risk assessment.
Published articleLDL, ApoB and Lp(a): what is the difference? →Fasting glucose · A1C · oral glucose tolerance · insulin · HOMA-IR
Glucose and A1C have established diagnostic uses. Insulin and HOMA-IR may answer narrower questions, but they are not stand-alone diagnoses and require careful context.
Published articleGlucose, A1C and insulin: what does each test show? →Creatinine · eGFR · urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio · urinalysis · cystatin C
Creatinine, eGFR and uACR answer different questions. Understand the combined assessment and the 2026 update for readers in the U.S., Europe and Brazil.
Published articleCreatinine, eGFR and urine albumin: read them together. →ALT · AST · GGT · alkaline phosphatase · bilirubin · albumin · platelets
Liver enzymes may signal injury or altered bile flow; they do not directly measure every liver function and normal values do not exclude all liver disease.
Published articleLiver enzymes: what an abnormal result can—and cannot—mean. →TSH · free T4 · thyroid antibodies · selected additional tests
TSH and free T4 answer complementary questions. Symptoms, medications, pregnancy, acute illness, pituitary conditions, assay interference, and prior results can change interpretation.
Published articleTSH and free T4: why one number is not the whole story. →CBC · ferritin · serum iron · transferrin/TIBC · transferrin saturation
Ferritin is useful for assessing iron stores, but it can rise with inflammation and other conditions. A high or normal ferritin does not answer every iron question by itself.
Published articleDoes high ferritin mean too much iron? →CRP · high-sensitivity CRP · ESR · fibrinogen in selected contexts
Inflammatory markers are usually nonspecific. They may indicate that an inflammatory response is present, but they do not identify the cause on their own.
Published articleCRP and hs-CRP: same protein, different clinical questions. →Vitamin B12 · folate · 25-hydroxyvitamin D · selected minerals · biotin interference
More testing is not automatically better. The indication, pretest probability, assay, supplement use, and consequences of a result should be clear before measurement. High-dose biotin can also distort susceptible immunoassays.
Published articleWhen does measuring a vitamin help—and when can a supplement distort the result? →How MERHI ONE reads a test
Screening, diagnosis, monitoring, and risk estimation are different purposes.
Fasting status, timing, illness, exercise, supplements, medications, and handling can matter.
A laboratory reference interval is not automatically a diagnostic cutoff, treatment target, or ideal value.
Related markers and prior measurements often provide more information than one isolated result.
A useful test should clarify a question, guide follow-up, or support a better clinical conversation.
A critical distinction
These three concepts may use different values because they answer different questions. MERHI ONE will label them explicitly instead of presenting every number outside a laboratory range as a diagnosis.
Three layers of interpretation
Method, units, sample quality, assay limitations, and reference interval.
Symptoms, history, medications, age, pregnancy, comorbidities, and prior probability.
Whether to repeat, confirm, investigate, monitor, or discuss an intervention.
One evidence core · two markets
The underlying scientific review is shared. The public pages adapt terminology, units, screening recommendations, guideline sources, regulatory context, and examples for the United States and Brazil.
American English, U.S. units and current U.S. professional guidance.
Brazilian Portuguese, local terminology and Brazilian professional and government guidance.
First articles in the Labs library
Scientific foundation
These references support the architecture and statements on this overview page. Individual articles will include claim-level references and their own review dates.
American Diabetes Association · 2026
American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association · 2026
KDIGO · 2024
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases · Current guidance
American Thyroid Association · Current resource
World Health Organization · 2020
Sociedade Brasileira de Diabetes · Current guideline
Ministério da Saúde / Conitec · 2024
American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology · 2026
Endocrine Society · 2024
NICE · 2024
Editorial record
