Understanding Your Beijing Hospital Lab Results: A Guide for International Patients (2026)

Beijing hospital lab and imaging reports follow a standard format:

Blood test report (检验报告单): - Patient name, ID, date collected, date reported - Each test listed with: test name in Chinese, result value, unit, and a reference range - Results outside the reference range are flagged with H (偏高, high) or L (偏低, low), or marked with ↑ or ↓ - At the bottom: a stamped verification from the lab

Imaging report (影像报告单): - Exam type (CT/MRI/X-Ray/Ultrasound) - Body region examined - Findings (所见): a detailed description of what was observed - Conclusion (结论/印象): the radiologist's summary interpretation - The report is in Chinese; your patient escort or a medical translation service can provide an English version

Prescription (处方): - Drug name (usually in Chinese with the generic Latin name underneath) - Dose and frequency (e.g., 2片, bid = twice daily) - Duration (e.g., 7天 = 7 days)

血常规 (Blood Count / CBC) - 白细胞 (WBC) — White blood cell count. Elevated in infection or inflammation; low may indicate immune suppression. - 红细胞 (RBC) — Red blood cell count. - 血红蛋白 (Hb/Hgb) — Haemoglobin. Reduced in anaemia. - 血小板 (PLT) — Platelets. Low platelets can indicate bleeding risk. - 中性粒细胞% (Neutrophil %) — Proportion of neutrophils. Elevated with bacterial infection. - 淋巴细胞% (Lymphocyte %) — Elevated with viral infection.

肝功能 (Liver Function Tests / LFTs) - ALT/谷丙转氨酶 — Alanine aminotransferase. Liver enzyme; elevated with liver damage or inflammation. - AST/谷草转氨酶 — Aspartate aminotransferase. Liver/muscle enzyme. - 总胆红素 / 直接胆红素 — Total and direct bilirubin. Elevated in liver disease or bile duct obstruction. - 白蛋白 (Albumin) — Low in malnutrition or chronic liver disease.

肾功能 (Kidney Function) - 肌酐 (Creatinine) — Key kidney function marker. Elevated with reduced kidney function. - 尿素氮 (BUN, Blood Urea Nitrogen) — Another kidney marker. - 估算肾小球滤过率 (eGFR) — Estimated glomerular filtration rate.

血脂四项 (Lipid Panel) - 总胆固醇 (Total Cholesterol) - 甘油三酯 (Triglycerides) - 低密度脂蛋白 (LDL Cholesterol) - 高密度脂蛋白 (HDL Cholesterol)

凝血功能 (Coagulation) - PT/凝血酶原时间 — Prothrombin time - APTT/活化部分凝血活酶时间 - INR — International normalised ratio (relevant if on warfarin/anticoagulation)

炎症指标 (Inflammation Markers) - CRP/C反应蛋白 — C-reactive protein. General inflammation marker. - ESR/红细胞沉降率 — Erythrocyte sedimentation rate. - 降钙素原 (PCT/Procalcitonin) — Bacterial infection marker.

General terms you will see in Chinese imaging reports:

| Chinese | English meaning | |---------|----------------| | 所见 | Findings (detailed description) | | 结论 / 印象 | Conclusion / Impression | | 未见明显异常 | No significant abnormality found | | 密度增高 / 低密度 | Increased / decreased density (CT) | | 信号增强 / 低信号 | Increased / low signal (MRI) | | 结节 | Nodule | | 肿块 / 占位 | Mass / space-occupying lesion | | 钙化 | Calcification | | 积液 | Effusion / fluid collection | | 水肿 | Oedema / swelling | | 强化 | Enhancement (contrast uptake) | | 请结合临床 | Please correlate with clinical findings | | 建议进一步检查 | Further investigation recommended |

CT scan terminology: - 平扫 = plain/non-contrast scan - 增强扫描 = contrast-enhanced scan - 肺窗 / 纵隔窗 / 骨窗 = lung window / mediastinal window / bone window

Ultrasound report terms: - 低回声 = hypoechoic (darker on ultrasound) - 高回声 = hyperechoic (brighter) - 血流信号 = blood flow signal (Doppler) - 囊性 / 实性 = cystic / solid

Chinese prescriptions typically list: 1. Chinese drug name (中文药名) 2. Generic Latin/English name (often printed underneath) 3. Dose in mg or 片 (tablets) / 粒 (capsules) 4. Frequency abbreviations: - qd (每日一次) = once daily - bid (每日两次) = twice daily - tid (每日三次) = three times daily - qid (每日四次) = four times daily - prn (必要时) = as needed 5. Duration: 天 = days

Common drug name translations: - 阿司匹林 = Aspirin - 他汀类 (e.g., 阿托伐他汀) = Statins (Atorvastatin) - 美托洛尔 = Metoprolol (beta-blocker) - 氨氯地平 = Amlodipine (calcium channel blocker) - 奥美拉唑 / 兰索拉唑 = Omeprazole / Lansoprazole (PPIs) - 头孢类 = Cephalosporins (antibiotics) - 左氧氟沙星 = Levofloxacin (antibiotic) - 甲泼尼龙 / 泼尼松 = Methylprednisolone / Prednisone (steroids)

If you are unsure about any medication, ask your patient escort to clarify before leaving the hospital.

Bringing Chinese hospital results back for your home doctor to review is straightforward if you do this before leaving Beijing:

Step 1: Collect all original documents Gather all 发票 (receipts), all reports (blood tests, imaging reports, discharge summary), all imaging discs, and any prescriptions.

Step 2: Get a translated summary Your patient escort can prepare a bilingual (English + Chinese) medical summary before you leave — this covers the consultation findings, test results, the diagnosis or provisional assessment, and the recommended next steps. This is far more useful to a home doctor than untranslated Chinese printouts.

Step 3: Request an English consultation note from the International Medical Department If you were seen through the IMD or IMC, request a printed English-language consultation summary. Most international departments provide this as standard.

Step 4: Secure digital copies Before leaving Beijing, photograph all reports, prescription receipts, and imaging discs. Send to your own email as backup. For imaging discs, some hospitals' reports are now available on hospital apps — save these downloads.

Step 5: When you see your home doctor Present the English summary first, then the original Chinese reports as supporting documents. For imaging, most DICOM discs are readable by any standard radiology workstation worldwide.