Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)
A BMP measures electrolytes, kidney function, and blood sugar to spot common imbalances; order through Vitals Vault with Quest draw access and PocketMD.
This panel bundles multiple biomarker tests in one order—your report explains how results fit together.
A Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) is a common blood test that gives you a quick snapshot of hydration and electrolyte balance, kidney function, blood sugar, and calcium.
Because it covers several body systems at once, a BMP is often used to check in on how you are doing when you have symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, nausea, swelling, or changes in urination.
Your BMP is not a diagnosis by itself. It is a set of clues that helps you and your clinician decide what to look at next and whether you need follow-up testing or a repeat panel.
Do I need a Basic Metabolic Panel test?
You might consider a BMP if you want a baseline for key electrolytes and kidney-related markers, especially if you have not had routine labs in a while. It is also commonly ordered when you feel “off” in a way that could relate to hydration, blood sugar swings, or medication effects.
A BMP is particularly useful if you have vomiting or diarrhea, frequent urination or unusual thirst, muscle weakness or cramps, lightheadedness, swelling, or new headaches. It is also a common check when you start or adjust medicines that can affect electrolytes or kidney function, such as diuretics (“water pills”), ACE inhibitors/ARBs, NSAIDs, or certain diabetes medications.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, known kidney disease, or heart failure, a BMP can help monitor how your body is responding to treatment and whether your kidneys are under strain. If you are pregnant or have complex symptoms, your clinician may choose a different panel or add tests that give more context.
Testing supports clinician-directed care and shared decision-making. If your results are abnormal or you feel unwell, you should review them with a licensed clinician rather than trying to self-diagnose from one panel.
BMP results come from CLIA-certified laboratory testing; they are for health assessment and monitoring and are not a standalone diagnosis.
Lab testing
Order a Basic Metabolic Panel through Vitals Vault when you want a clear baseline or a follow-up check.
Schedule online, results typically within about a week
Clear reporting and optional clinician context
HSA/FSA eligible where applicable
Get this test with Vitals Vault
If you want a clear, practical read on your BMP, Vitals Vault lets you order labs and then make sense of the numbers in context. You can use your results to prepare for a clinician visit, to monitor a known condition, or to decide whether a retest makes sense after hydration changes, medication adjustments, or illness recovery.
After your blood draw, you can use PocketMD to ask questions like what a mildly high creatinine means for you, whether a low sodium result could be from a medication, or which follow-up labs are usually paired with a BMP. PocketMD can help you turn a list of values into next-step questions for your care team.
If your BMP suggests a pattern that needs a wider view, you can add companion testing (for example, liver-related labs, urine testing, or diabetes monitoring) rather than guessing. Many people also use the BMP as a repeatable baseline to track trends over time.
- Order online and complete your blood draw through the Quest network
- PocketMD helps you interpret results and plan follow-up questions
- Designed for trending over time, not one-off numbers
Key benefits of Basic Metabolic Panel testing
- Checks core electrolytes that influence nerves, muscles, and heart rhythm.
- Screens kidney-related markers (BUN and creatinine) that can shift with illness, dehydration, or medications.
- Measures blood glucose to flag possible hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, or diabetes-related patterns.
- Helps explain symptoms like weakness, cramps, dizziness, nausea, or confusion when the cause is unclear.
- Provides a fast “safety check” before or during treatment changes that can affect fluid and salt balance.
- Supports smarter follow-up testing by showing which system (electrolytes, kidneys, glucose) looks most off.
- Works well for retesting and trend tracking, especially when paired with PocketMD guidance.
What is a Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)?
A Basic Metabolic Panel is a group of blood tests reported together. It focuses on electrolytes (salts and acids/bases), kidney-related waste markers, blood sugar, and calcium.
The “metabolic” part refers to how your body manages fluids, minerals, and energy. The BMP does not directly measure liver enzymes, blood counts, or thyroid hormones, so it is often combined with other labs depending on your symptoms.
Most BMPs include sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide (reported as bicarbonate/CO2), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, glucose, and calcium. Some labs also report an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) alongside creatinine, which is a calculated estimate of kidney filtration based on creatinine plus factors such as age and sex.
A BMP is best interpreted as a pattern. For example, dehydration can raise BUN and sometimes creatinine, while vomiting can lower chloride and change CO2. A single out-of-range value can be meaningful, but it is often the combination of values plus your symptoms, diet, and medications that tells the story.
Electrolytes and acid–base balance
Sodium, potassium, chloride, and CO2 (bicarbonate) help regulate fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve signaling, and muscle contraction. CO2 on a BMP is a proxy for bicarbonate, which helps keep your blood’s acid–base balance stable. Shifts can happen with dehydration, kidney issues, lung conditions, vomiting/diarrhea, and certain medications.
Kidney-related markers
BUN and creatinine are waste products filtered by your kidneys. They can rise when filtration is reduced, but they can also change with hydration status, muscle mass, protein intake, and medications. That is why your clinician often looks at trends and may pair a BMP with urine testing when kidney concerns are on the table.
Glucose and calcium
Glucose reflects your blood sugar at the time of the draw and is influenced by recent food, stress, illness, and diabetes medications. Calcium supports bone health, muscle contraction, and nerve function, and it can shift with parathyroid hormone activity, vitamin D status, kidney function, and albumin levels (which are not part of a BMP).
What do my Basic Metabolic Panel results mean?
Low BMP results (what “low” can suggest)
Low sodium, potassium, or chloride can happen after heavy sweating, vomiting/diarrhea, overhydration, or from medications such as diuretics. Low CO2 (bicarbonate) can suggest a tendency toward metabolic acidosis, which may occur with kidney problems, severe diarrhea, or certain metabolic conditions. Low glucose can occur if you have not eaten, after intense exercise, or from diabetes medications, and it matters most when it matches symptoms like shakiness, sweating, or confusion. Low calcium may be related to low vitamin D, low magnesium, parathyroid issues, or albumin effects, and it often needs confirmation with related labs.
In-range BMP results (what “normal” usually means)
In-range values generally suggest your electrolytes and kidney-related markers are stable at the time of testing and that your blood sugar is not obviously abnormal. Even with “normal” results, symptoms can still be real, because many conditions do not show up on a BMP or may fluctuate day to day. If you are monitoring a condition like hypertension, diabetes, or kidney disease, your clinician may focus on trends over time rather than one result. Your optimal range can also differ based on your age, medications, and health history.
High BMP results (what “high” can suggest)
High sodium can reflect dehydration or excess salt relative to water, while high potassium can be urgent in some situations because it can affect heart rhythm, especially if kidney function is reduced or certain medications are involved. High BUN and creatinine can suggest reduced kidney filtration, but they can also rise with dehydration, high protein intake, or higher muscle mass, so context matters. High glucose may reflect recent food intake, stress hormones, illness, or diabetes, and it is often followed by hemoglobin A1c testing for a longer-term view. High calcium can be associated with dehydration, certain medications, or parathyroid-related patterns and usually warrants follow-up rather than assumptions.
Factors that influence BMP results
Hydration status is one of the biggest drivers of BMP variation, and even a day of poor fluid intake can shift sodium, BUN, and creatinine. Recent eating affects glucose, and high-carbohydrate meals can raise it for hours, while fasting or diabetes medications can lower it. Medications and supplements can change electrolytes (especially potassium and sodium), including diuretics, ACE inhibitors/ARBs, NSAIDs, lithium, and some laxatives. Muscle mass and intense exercise can influence creatinine, and vomiting/diarrhea can shift chloride and CO2 in predictable directions. If a result is unexpected, repeating the test under consistent conditions and adding targeted follow-up labs is often the safest way to clarify what is going on.
What’s included
- Bun/Creatinine Ratio
- Calcium
- Carbon Dioxide
- Chloride
- Creatinine
- Egfr
- Glucose
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Urea Nitrogen (Bun)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to fast for a Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)?
Fasting is not always required for a BMP, but it can make the glucose value easier to interpret. If your goal is to assess fasting glucose, avoid calories for about 8–12 hours and drink water as usual unless your clinician gives different instructions.
What is the difference between a BMP and a CMP?
A BMP focuses on electrolytes, kidney-related markers, glucose, and calcium. A Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) includes everything in a BMP plus additional liver-related tests (such as ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin) and proteins like albumin and total protein.
What is a “normal” creatinine or eGFR on a BMP?
Normal ranges vary by lab and by your body size and muscle mass. Creatinine is influenced by muscle, and eGFR is a calculated estimate based on creatinine plus factors like age and sex, so the best interpretation is your trend over time and whether the value matches your clinical picture.
Why is my BUN high but creatinine normal?
That pattern can happen with dehydration, higher protein intake, recent gastrointestinal bleeding, or certain medications, because BUN is more sensitive to protein metabolism and hydration than creatinine. It is often rechecked after hydration and reviewed alongside symptoms and, when needed, urine testing.
Should I worry about a slightly high potassium result?
Potassium deserves careful attention because significant elevations can affect heart rhythm, but mild changes are sometimes due to sample handling (for example, red blood cell breakdown during the draw) or medications. If potassium is high, your clinician may repeat it promptly and review kidney function, medications, and any symptoms like palpitations or weakness.
How often should I repeat a BMP?
It depends on why you are testing. For a baseline, many people repeat it annually with routine labs, while medication monitoring or known kidney/electrolyte issues may require repeat testing in weeks to months. Your clinician can help set a schedule based on your risks and any recent changes.
Can dehydration really change my BMP results?
Yes. Dehydration can concentrate your blood and raise sodium, BUN, and sometimes creatinine, and it can also shift calcium. If results do not fit how you feel or what you expect, repeating the BMP when you are well-hydrated and stable can be very informative.