*Some laboratories might quote different values and units.
| Condition | Appearance | Pressure | WCC | RCC | Protein | Glucose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Clear / colourless | 7-20 cm water | 0-5 x 106/L | 0-10 x 106/L | 15-45 mg/dL (150-450 mg/L) | 40-80 mg/dL (2.2-4.4 mmol/L) |
| Subarachnoid haemorrhage | Blood-stained early, yellow later | ↑ - ↑↑ | ↑ | ↑↑ | ↑ | (N) |
| Bacterial meningitis | Turbid | ↑ | ↑↑ | (N) | ↑ | ↓ |
| Viral meningitis | Clear / colourless | (N) - ↑ | ↑ - ↑↑ neutrophils early, then lymphocytes |
(N) | ↑ | (N) |
| Fungal meningitis | Clear / turbid | ↑ | (N) - ↑ neutrophils early, then mononuclear |
(N) | ↑ | ↓ |
| Tuberculous meningitis | Turbid, +/- fibrin web | ↑ | ↑ - ↑↑ | (N) | ↑↑ | ↓ |
| Guillain Barre syndrome | Clear / yellow | (N) - ↑ | (N) | (N) | ↑↑ | (N) |
| Multiple sclerosis | Clear / colourless | (N) | (N) - ↑ lymphocytes |
(N) | ↑ | (N) |