Chemical analyses are useful diagnostic and therapeutic measurements upon which clinicians depend for reliable diagnosis and patient management. Clinical Chemistry is concerned primarily with quantitative analysis of substances found in blood or blood serum. Other fluids such as urine, spinal fluid and pleural fluid are often analyzed. The substances for which the analyses are performed are known as analytes.

Analytes are often classified by type:

    Analyte Type             Examples

    Electrolytes             Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, PO4-3, Ca+2, Mg+2, etc.

    Enzymes                  Alkaline Phosphatase, Acid Phosphatase, Creatine Phosphokinase,
                             Lactic Acid Dehydrogenase, Glutamic-Oxalacetic Transaminase,
                             Amylase, etc.

    Proteins                 Total protein, Albumin, Globulin, Pre-albumin, Alpha globulins,
                             Beta Globulins, Immunoglobulins, etc.

    Organics                 Glucose, Urea, Uric Acid, Creatinine, Acetone, Cholesterol, etc.


A more useful classification of analytes organizes analytes by organ or diagnostic profiles:

    Profile Type             Composition of Example Profiles

    Renal (kidney)           Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, PO4-3, Urea nitrogen, Creatinine, Uric acid,
                             Albumin

    Hepatic (liver)          Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin, AST, ALT, ALP, Cholesterol,
                             Total Protein, Albumin, Globulin

    Cardiac (heart)          CPK, LDH, Beta-HBD, Troponin I, Troponin T, CPK-MB, Myoglobin

    Hypertensive             Cholesterol, HDL (HDL-cholesterol), LDL (LDL-cholesterol),
     (circulatory)           VLDL (VLDL-cholesterol), Triglycerides, Renin

    Thyroid                  Thyroxin, Free Thyroxin, Thyroid Uptake or Tri-iodothyronine,
                             TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone)

    Basic Metabolic          Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, Ca+2, Urea nitrogen, Creatinine, Glucose

    Comprehensive Metabolic  Na+, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, Ca+2, Urea nitrogen, Creatinine, Glucose,
                             Bilirubin, AST, Total Protein, Albumin, Cholesterol, ALP

ANALYTICAL METHODS


ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTS


REFERENCE RANGES OF SOME ANALYTES WITH DIAGNOSTIC INTERPRETATION