[Discussion] the ALT advice in here is 2 years out of date
the ALT advice in here is 2 years out of date. Making the case below, and I expect to lose some of it in the comments. To save the first four comments: 2 years. My ApoB moved and I spent a fortnight convinced I knew why. The repeat six weeks later was back in range and I had changed nothing. Tracked triglycerides…
Brought the whole set to my clinician rather than one flagged value. Completely different conversation.
same lab, same conditions, or you are comparing noise
one measurement is a point, two is a line, three is a trend
same lab, same conditions, or you are comparing noise
Agreed — and standardising the draw conditions is the cheapest improvement available.
Reference intervals are typically the central 95% of a reference population. By construction one person in twenty falls outside one on any given test without anything being wrong.
lab reference ranges are not treatment targets
a single ApoB outside range is a reason to repeat, not to panic
the trend line matters more than any single value
a single ApoB outside range is a reason to repeat, not to panic
Disagreeing with this bit: that change is confounded by the weight loss itself and cannot be attributed.
hydration status moves a surprising number of markers
What did the repeat show?
weight loss itself moves several of these independently
baseline before you start is worth more than any later panel
Fasting or not, and what time of day?