Clinical Tools & Calculators

Normal CSF Values by Age

For educational use. This tool is intended for reference and education. All care decisions require a direct clinical assessment of the patient and independent verification of doses and values by the treating team. The calculation runs locally in your browser, no patient data is sent to any server.

Normal CSF Values by Age

A reference table, the values can vary by laboratory method, verify against your local reference values.

Age WBC (/mm³) Protein (mg/dL) Glucose (mg/dL) Opening pressure (cm H₂O)
Neonate0–3020–17030–1208–11
Infant (> 1 month)0–1015–4540–8010–18
Older child0–515–4540–8010–25
Adolescent / adult0–515–4550–8010–25
CSF glucose is typically 60–70% of serum glucose; a CSF:serum ratio < 0.4 suggests bacterial meningitis.
References: Kestenbaum LA, et al. Defining cerebrospinal fluid white blood cell count reference values in neonates and young infants. Pediatrics 2010;125(2):257–64. PMID 20064869 · doi:10.1542/peds.2009-1181
Shah SS, et al. Age-specific reference values for cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration in neonates and young infants. J Hosp Med 2010;6(1):22–7. PMID 20629018 · doi:10.1002/jhm.711

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