{"id":"lactate","name":"Lactate (Lactic Acid)","shortName":"Lactate","aliases":["Lactate","Lactic Acid","Lactate, Plasma","Lactate, Whole Blood","Lactate, Venous","Lactate, Arterial","Lactate (POC)","Plasma lactate","Blood lactate","Lactic Acid, Plasma","L-Lactate","Lactate, P","Lactic acid, blood","Lactate (VBG)"],"abbreviations":["Lac"],"loinc":[{"code":"2524-7","primary":true},{"code":"14118-4","primary":false},{"code":"32693-4","primary":false},{"code":"2519-7","primary":false},{"code":"2518-9","primary":false},{"code":"59032-3","primary":false}],"specimen":"plasma","units":[{"ucum":"mmol/L","display":"mmol/L"},{"ucum":"mg/dL","display":"mg/dL"}],"referenceRanges":[{"population":"18+","low":0.5,"high":2,"unit":"mmol/L","unitDisplay":"mmol/L","note":"Mayo Clinic Laboratories' adult interval for plasma. Mayo footnotes the upper limit of 2.0 mmol/L as an adult clinical action limit tied to a sepsis-bundle study, so it is not a plain healthy-population limit. Other sources quote 0.5–1.8 mmol/L for arterial blood, and 0.4–2.2 mmol/L was measured on venous whole blood in 134 healthy adults. The University of Iowa Hospitals also list 0.5–2.0 mmol/L for ages 16 and older. Labs set their own limits, so use the range printed on your report.","sources":[{"title":"Lactate, Plasma (test LACS1)","url":"https://www.testcatalog.org/show/LACS1","publisher":"Mayo Clinic Laboratories (via the Mayo Clinic Laboratories Extended Catalog)"},{"title":"Type B Lactic Acidosis: Diagnosis, Etiology and Treatment - An Educational Review","url":"https://doi.org/10.14740/cr2265","publisher":"Cardiology Research 2026;17:394-405","year":2026},{"title":"Reference intervals for venous blood gas measurement in adults","url":"https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2020-1224","publisher":"Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine 2021;59(5):947-954","year":2021},{"title":"Lactic Acid (test LACTP)","url":"https://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/path_handbook/rhandbook/test3481.html","publisher":"University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Pathology Handbook"}]}],"review":{"status":"ai-verified","label":"AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review","lastReviewed":"2026-10-03"},"summary":"A byproduct of making energy that rises when cells are short of oxygen or the body can't clear it. Higher levels can be a sign the body is under strain.","url":"https://bloodtesttracker.com/markers/lactate","notice":"Information, not medical advice. Ranges differ between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against."}