Panels
Lab panels: related tests, one timeline
A lab panel is a named group of blood tests that answer one clinical question together — thyroid function, blood cells, lipids, liver load. Single markers matter; the pattern across the panel usually matters more.
MedicalHistory.app maps extracted results onto the same panel groups on your timeline, keeps each report's original value and reference range, and converts common unit pairs when a mapping exists. Free for 3 documents.
Why labs order panels
Clinics rarely order one isolated number when they care about a system. A thyroid workup pairs TSH with free T4 (and sometimes free T3 or antibodies). A lipid panel pairs LDL with HDL and triglycerides so ratios stay visible. A CBC returns white cells, red cells, and platelets as a set because infection, anemia, and bleeding risk are not separate stories.
Over years you also collect the same panel from different labs. Units move (pmol/L vs ng/dL), cutoffs move, and method notes change. Without a panel frame, those shifts look like physiology when they are often calibration. Panel pages on this site teach how to read the set; the app keeps each report's printed range next to the value so the comparison stays honest.
Panel guides
Long-form guides explain how to read a named panel end to end — what belongs in the set, how often people retest, and which unit traps matter. Thyroid is first because TSH, free hormones, and antibodies are where cross-lab confusion shows up most often for people tracking chronic care.
Related reading: Hashimoto's blood tests (retest timing and antibody context) and the biomarker pages for TSH, FT4, TPOAb, and TgAb.
Medical and technical basics
- Read the set, not one cell. High TSH with low free T4 is a different picture from high TSH with normal free T4. Panels exist so those pairs stay together.
- Ranges belong to the lab. Units and cutoffs differ by method. Compare each result with the range printed on that report; a jump after a lab change is often calibration, not physiology.
- Trends need consistency. Same panel, similar draw conditions, and notes on what changed (illness, pregnancy, a new supplement) beat any single snapshot.
- Word results and inequalities still belong on a panel. Urinalysis lines that print "neigiama" or antibody lines that print "negative" are panel members too. In the app, mapped qualitative results stay as reported when the ontology supports them; values like "<9" keep their printed form. The app tracks lab results, not medication doses.
- In the app, panels are timeline groups. Mapped markers land under Thyroid, CBC, Lipids, and the rest so a new PDF does not scatter related rows across an unsorted list.
How panels show up on your timeline
When you upload a report, MedicalHistory.app extracts named tests, maps them to a shared ontology, and places them into panel groups. That is the difference between a folder of PDFs and a timeline you can scan by system: thyroid this year, lipids last spring, CBC with each infection workup.
Mapping is deliberately conservative when the evidence is weak — a bare name with no unit may stay unmapped rather than guess. When a mapping exists, unit conversion (for example free T4 between pmol/L and ng/dL) can put comparable points on one chart while the original printed value stays visible. For the full workflow, see how to track lab results over time and the medical history tracker overview.
Panels mapped in the app
These groups already organize results on the timeline. Educational guides join this hub as they ship — thyroid is live; CBC, lipids, and metabolic panels are next candidates because they show up on almost every adult checkup PDF.
Thyroid
TSH, free T4, free T3, TPOAb, TgAb
CBC
Complete blood count and differentials
Lipids
LDL, HDL, triglycerides, ApoB
Liver
ALT, AST, GGT, bilirubin, albumin
Kidney
Creatinine, eGFR, BUN, uric acid
Electrolytes
Sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium
Metabolic
Glucose, HbA1c, insulin
Iron
Ferritin and iron-status markers
Vitamins
Vitamin D, B12, folate
Inflammation
hs-CRP and related markers
Celiac
tTG-IgA/IgG and total IgA
Hormones
Cortisol, sex hormones, SHBG
For single-marker detail, use the biomarker library. Panels and biomarkers are complementary: the panel page teaches the set; the biomarker page teaches one series.
What this hub is not
These pages do not diagnose disease or replace your clinician. They explain how common lab groups are structured, what usually moves together, and how to keep a clean personal record when labs and units change. If a result is urgent or unexpected, use the care path you already have — then store the report here so the next visit starts with context, not a paper pile.
Pricing is simple: every core feature is available on Free for up to 3 documents, then Pro removes the upload cap. Details live on the pricing page.
Upload a panel and see the group on one timeline
Thyroid, CBC, lipids and other mapped panels land together. Original values and lab ranges stay next to each result. Free for 3 documents.