Help understanding NHS app test results

[Kateeeeeeee]

Hello!

I received my blood test results back a few weeks ago and don’t understand one of them (photo attached).

Basically it says “borderline” however the result itself looks like < 1 which is ideal since in this case the lower the better! So how can that be called borderline? Under 1 is still within the reference range of 0 - 5….

Is there something that I don’t understand? What do you think?

I would have been really happy with this result if it didn’t say borderline. I tried ignoring that word for a few weeks but this keeps coming back into my head and makes me wonder whether they put the result in wrong and maybe the result is actually much higher and they made a mistake?!

Are you sure that number 1 is referring to your test result? It states they should communicate with you so have you not had a call or text? Personally I'd phone the gp and ask for an appointment to discuss the results.

Is there any other tests listed? Above or below your screenshot.

Technically >1 is borderline as its at the border of the lowest of the range. Doesn't mean there is a problem it could just be standard to reflect it is border of the low.

That’s how all my other results show up on the app. The name of what is tested, number next to it and then reference ranges in brackets. So I assume that must be the result.

I have had other things tested that same day, one of which was slightly elevated and I have been informed of that and GP has discussed the results with me but mentioned nothing about this particular result, so I am wondering if this “communicate patient” might simply be applied to all the test results that were done that day, only because one thing came back abnormal. I just checked my other tests that were done that day and even though most are beautifully within the reference ranges, all have the borderline label on them. Maybe that’s just all that it is.

There are no other results on that page, but I did have other things tested on that same day, they just all show up separately. I just explained to someone else above that actually the borderline label seems to have been applied to all the tests I have done that day even though only one of them was slightly elevated, all others were perfectly in range so it seems like they must have put the same label onto all of them. Maybe they are trying to “summarise” all the results done that day so if just one was abnormal that means that overall they are borderline? 😅 that would be very simplified but perhaps that’s all that it is and I am overthinking this. Especially since my GP discussed these with me and told me that only one marker looked slightly off and mentioned nothing of the one I have asked about here.

Ah yes seems like it maybe they flagged borderline for the whole page. As the crp is definitely in good range. Hopefully they will explain.

I think you are right @Kateeeeeeee the 'borderline' and 'communicate with patient' flags are triggered if any one of the batch of test results are on limits/ just outside the 'normal' range.

'Normal' is the range where about 95% of healthy people's results will be, so around 1 in 20 healthy people may fall outside 'normal' and still be perfectly OK.

Patterns / trends are a lot more useful than a single one off result for most blood tests.

Thanks so much for confirming! Good to know someone confirms my theory, I am such a worrier!
And you’re right, patterns are so much more important, it’s easy to forget.

The CRP is completely fine, and the reason it’s “borderline” is the results came into the surgery, they come back in a batch and something else in the batch was borderline. (In fact having a v low CRP reduced your risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term…)
For some reason the view that your doctor sees of the results, and what you see is completely different. Add to that any helpful comments they write (“not clinically relevant”, “stable for over 10 years” or whatever) are not viewable.
I didn’t realise for months my patients (I am a GP) couldn’t see my little messages (I still write them so reception can pass them on if someone rings). It’s so annoying!