This document lists and describes various physiological parameters including their normal values and clinical significance. It discusses hematological parameters like hemoglobin, RBC count, WBC count and differentiation. It also covers clinical chemistry tests like blood sugar, blood cholesterol, liver enzymes, urine analysis, and stool examination. Other tests mentioned include erythrocyte sedimentation rate, bleeding time, clotting time, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Ranges are provided for many of these parameters.

1. PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS
Prof. Jyotsna P. Khedkar
M.Pharm (Pharmacology)

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
• After reading this topic student will able to
1. List out various physiological parameters.
2. Give the significance of physiological parameters.

3. 1. Haemoglobin:
• Normal value: Male – 14 - 16 gm %
Female – 12 – 14 gm%
• Significance: Below normal range shows anaemia
and leukaemia. Above the normal shows
polycythemia and dehydration

4. 2. RBCs:
• Normal value: Normal value of RBCs in male is
4.5 – 5.5 million/mm3 and female are 3.5 – 5
million/mm3 or per cumm.
• Significance: Increase count shows conditions like
heart disease, polycythemia, cholera, burns.
Decrease count shows anaemia, leukaemia,
haemorrhage or old age.

5. 3. WBCs:
• Normal value: Adults 4000 – 10000 per cumm,
Infants 10000 – 20000 per cumm, children 8000 –
10000 per cumm.
• Significance:
• 1. Neutrophile increase in acute bacterial infection,
acute bacterial infection, acute inflammatory
lesions, urinary tract infection.
•

6. • 2. Eosinophile increase in allergic condition skin
disease, decrease shows release of the
adrenocortical hormone.
• 3. Basophile increase in granulocytic leukaemia.
• 4. Lymphocytes increase in children with a bacterial
infection, viral infection, high count in whooping
cough.
• 5. Monocytes increase in bacterial infection or
malaria.

7. • 6. Leucopenia count below 4000 per cumm.
• Leucopenia occurs in the following conditions.
• 1. Starvation, fear, anxiety or stress.
• 2. Blood disorder like aplastic anaemia and
agranulocytosis.
• 3.Influenza, measles and enteric fever.
• 4. Exposure to UV radiations.
• 5. Hepatitis, cirrhosis.

8. 4. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
(ESR)
• Western method:
• Normal value: In Male – 3 to 5 mm/hour and
female 4 to 7 mm/hour
• Wintrobe method: In male – 0 to9 mm/hour and in
female 2 to 20 mm/hour
• Significance: E.S.R. increase in tuberculosis,
rheumatoid arthritis. It is also increased in anaemia,
jaundice and septicemia. The ESR decreases in
allergic conditions, polycythemia, sickle cell
anaemia.

9. 5. The clotting time of Blood:
• Normal value: 4 to 9 min
• Significance: clotting time increase in haemophilia,
vitamin K deficiency, anaemia, jaundice, leukaemia,
haemorrhage. Decrease clotting time may result in
intravascular clotting of blood called thrombosis and
embolism.
•

10. 14. Bleeding time:
• Normal value: 1 to 3 min.
• Significance: haemophilia.

11. 6. Blood sugar:
• Normal value: Fasting blood sugar is 80-140 mg/100 ml.
Post peridium (PP) is 80-140 mg/100 ml and random is
140 to 160 mg/100 ml (fasting means before meal and PP
means after a meal.
• Significance: Blood sugar level rarely exceeds 200 mg%
except in diabetes hypoglycemia may be a result of insulin
overdose, pancreatic tumour or alcohol intake. Blood sugar
useful in the diagnosis of diabetes. Lower level indicates
hypoglycemia, diabetic coma. Increase level indicates
hyperglycemia.

12. 7. Blood cholesterol:
• Normal value: 150 to 240 mg% in adult.
• Significance: Increase cholesterol level produce
nephrosis in diabetes. Percentage of ester
cholesterol decreases in jaundice, myxedema
(lower quantity of thyroid)

13. 8. Pulse rate:
• Normal value: In infants – 130 to 140 per min, in adult 60
to 80 per min, in children 100 to 130 per min.
• Significance: It helps in assessing the myocardial status
and character of B.P. It increases in the following
conditions
• 1. emotional excitement, 2. Fever, 3. Exercise.
• Increase heart rate is called tachycardia and decrease
heart rate is called bradycardia. Pulse pressure is the
difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

14. 9. Body temperature:
• Normal value: 37.50c or 980F
• Significance: Increase in temperature above than
normal value indicates fever, infection etc.

15. 10. Blood pressure:
• Normal value: 80 to 120 mmHg, where 120 mmHg is
systolic B.P. and 80 mmHg is diastolic B.P. pulse pressure
is 40 to 50 mmHg.
• Significance: Diagnosis of various heart disease, systolic
B.P. decreases in conditions like shock, peripheral
vasodilatation and anaemia, systolic B.P. is increasing in
condition like atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and aged
peoples.
• Diastolic B.P. indicates mean and peripheral resistance or
intensity of peripheral resistance.

16. 11. Sperm count:
• Normal value: 50 to 150 million/cc
• Significance: it is useful for detecting the
productivity person with less sperm count may
show infertility.

17. 12. Urine analysis:
Normal value:
• A. Physical tests:
Significance: All these indicate urine sample is
physiological, otherwise the sample is pathological.
Physical test Male Female
Colour Faint yellow -
Appearance Clear -
Odour Aromatic -
Volume 350 – 500 ml -
Specific gravity 1.02 – 1.03 -
Reaction Slightly acidic -

18. B. Chemical parameters:
Chemical test Normal value Significance
Protein ( albumin ) Abnormal constituents Proteinuria (albuminuria),
Nephritis, pyelonephritis,
pregnancy, high protein meal.
Sugar Abnormal constituents Glycosuria (diabetes)
Bile salts Abnormal constituents Jaundice
Bile pigments -
Billirubin, biliverdin
- -
Ketone bodies Abnormal constituents Ketonuria, hypoglycemia
Blood cells Abnormal constituents Acute inflammation of urinary
organs, cancer, kidney stone,
haemolysis due to poison

19. C. Microscopic parameters:
Microscopic test Significance
RBCs 1. Damage to glomerular filter,
2. Tumour of bladder or kidney,
3. Nephritis.
Pus cells RBCs with pus cell indicates pyelonephritis.
Epithelial cells Haemorrhage and degenerative nephritis.

20. Stool Examination
Test Normal Value Significance
A Physical test
1. Consistency Semisolid Liquid stools in pathogenic bacterial and amoeba
infection
2. Colour Brownish Internal haemorrhage may change the colour
3. Odour Characteristic Ulceration in the rectum may give a foul odour
4. Mucous Very less amount Excessive loss in conditions like dysentery,
amoebiasis and colitis.
B. Microscopic Test
:
1. Cells Amoebic
dysentery
Amoebic dysentery
2. Crystals Ulcerative lesions of intestine show colourless ca-
oxalate, Ca-carbonate crystals of needle-shaped.
3. Parasites and
eggs
Various Protozoas like E Coli and worms are present
in the stool.

21. 13. Stool examination:
Physical test
Consistency Semi-solid If the liquid stool is
pathogenic, bacterial, amoebic
infection
Colour Brownish Internal haemorrhage may
change the colour.
Odour Characteristic Faul odour may indicate the
ulceration in the rectum
Mucus examination Excessive loss in conditions like
amoebiasis, dysentery and
colitis.

22. Microscopic test:
Cells Cells indicate the
amoebic dysentery
Parasites and eggs Various protozoa like
worm e-coli present in the
stool
Crystals Ulcerative lesions of
intestine show colourless
calcium oxalate crystals.

23. 15. Serum glutmic oxaloacetic
transaminase (SGOT)
• Normal value: 8 – 40 spectrophotometer unit per
ml.
• Significance: to check liver functioning

24. 16. Serum glutamic pyruvic
transaminase (SGPT)
Normal value: 5 to 35 spectrophotometric unit per ml
• Significance: to check liver functioning

25. 17. C.S.F. examination
Sr No. Test Normal value Significance
Properties It is clear colourless fluid which
doesn’t clot on standing. The
specific gravity is 1.003
1. Colour Brownish Presence of blood due to subarachnoid
haemorrhage
Yellow Due to haemoglobin conversion to bilirubin or
because of spinal tumour or increase protein
level in C.S.F.
2. Turbidity Abnormal Presence of great no of cells or organisms
causes turbidity, e.g. pneumococcal
meningitis, presence of few RBCs cause the
smoky appearance to C.S.F.
3. Coagulum Abnormal 1. if CSF is allowed to stand overnight, it
forms ‘clot’ indicating the disease T.B.
2. CSF solidifies on standing in a patient with
a spinal tumour.

26. 4. Microscopic
test :
Cells
Only few 0-5
WBCs/cu. mm
If RBCs are present, observe whether crenated or
normocytic.
5. Chemical test
:
I. Protein 15 – 45 mg% Increase protein content manifests the inflammation
toxicity and tumour of the brain and spinal cord.
II. Glucose 0 – 70 mg% 1. If CSF sugar decreases then it indicates
meningitis.
2. 10 – 25 mg% suppurative meningitis.
3. CSF glucose level increases to 70 – 100 mg% in
diabetes mellitus, brain tumour and encephalitis
III. Chloride 650 – 750% The CSF chloride decreases to 600 mg% or
sometimes to 450 mg% in tuberculous meningitis,
Hence useful in diagnosis.

27. Some other Physiological Values :
• Bleeding time : 0-7 min
• Blood volume : 65-85nml/kg
• Packed cell volume
Men : 40-55%
Women : 35-50%
• pH of blood : 7.35-7.45
• Prothrombin time : 10-14 seconds

28. • Chemical substance Quantity in
plasma/serum
• Bilirubin : 0.1-0.8 mg %
• Calcium : 9- 11 mg %
• Chloride : 340 -400 mg %
• Iron : 0.08 -0.20 mg %
• Magnecium : 1.5 – 3 mg %
• Nitrogen : 20 -30mg %
• Potassium : 14.8 -20.2 mg %
• Protein total : 6 -8.5 g %

29. • Albumin : 3.5 -6 g %
• Globulin : 1.5 -3 g %
• Fibrinigen : 200 -400mmg %
• Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic
• Transaminase (SGOT) : 5-35
sprctrophotometric units/ml
• Serum Glutamic Pyruvic
• Transaminase (SGPT) : 5-35
spectrophotometric units/ml

30. • Urea : 18 -40 mg %
• Uric acid : 1.5 -6.6 mg %
• Sodium : 310 -340 mg %
• Phosphatase, acid : 0-3 King
Armstrong inits per 100 ml
• Phosphatase, Alkali : 3 – 13 king
Armstrong units per 100 ml.