Chemical Substances Present in CSF
The composition of CSF has some similarities to plasma. However, most analyte reference ranges are different for CSF than they are for plasma, For example, the protein level of normal CSF is dramatically lower than that of plasma.
The following table lists some of the chemicals present in CSF, and their concentrations:
| Chemical | Level |
| sodium | 136.0 - 150.0 m Eq/L |
| potassium | 2.3 - 2.7 m Eq/L |
| magnesium | 2.4 - 3.0 m Eq/L |
| protein | 2 - 4 mg/dL (normally diffuses across blood-brain barrier) |
| glucose | 45.0 - 60.0 mg/dL |
| calcium | 2.1 - 2.7 m Eq/dL |
| cholesterol | present in small amounts |
| creatinine | 0.5 - 1.2 mg/dL |
| lactic acid dehyrdogenase (LDH) | present in small amounts |
| phosphorus (inorganic) | 1.0 - 2.0 mg/dL |
| urea | 6.0 - 16.0 mg/dL |
| uric acid | 0.5 - 3.0 mg/dL |
