IMPORTANT NOTES:
Each commercial laboratory has its own set of “normal” values, called “Normal Range” or “Reference Range” on your lab report. These values depend on the equipment or method used. Compare your results to the range shown on your lab report. Results that are “out of range” may not represent a problem. Your test results can be affected by several factors, including your age or gender, if you are pregnant, the time of day when the sample was taken, active infectons, stage of HIV disease, and food (some test samples need to be taken after you have fasted – not eaten anything – for several hours). Where normal values for men and women are different, they are indicated as W for women and M for men. Discuss “out of range” results with your health care provider.
The table below compares the units used in the United States with the “Système International d’Unités (SI units), a metric system used in many parts of the world. The last column, “To Convert US to SI Units,” is the factor to multiply US lab values to convert them to SI units. To convert SI units to US units, divide the SI value by the conversion factor. See page 2 for a terminology list.
NORMAL LABORATORY VALUES
| Laboratory Test | Normal Range in US Units | Normal Range in SI Units | To Convert US to SI Units |
| ALT (Alanine aminotransferase) | W 7-30 units/liter M 10-55 units/liter | W 0.12-0.50 µkat/liter M 0.17-0.92 µkat/liter | x 0.01667 |
| Albumin | 3.1 – 4.3 g/dl | 31 – 43 g/liter | x 10 |
| Alkaline Phosphatase | W 30-100 units/liter M 45-115 units/liter | W 0.5-1.67 µkat/liter W 0.75-1.92 µkat/liter | x 0.01667 |
| Amylase (serum) | 53-123 units/liter | 0.88-2.05 nkat/liter | x 0.01667 |
| AST (Aspartate aminotransferase) | W 9-25 units/liter M 10-40 units/liter | W 0.15-0.42 µkat/liter M 0.17-0.67 µkat/liter | x 0.01667 |
| Basophils | 0-3% of lymphocytes | 0.0-0.3 fraction of white blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Bilirubin – Direct | 0.0-0.4 mg/dl | 0-7 µmol/liter | x 17.1 |
| Bilirubin – Total | 0.0-1.0 mg/dl | 0-17 µmol/liter | x 17.1 |
| Blood pressure | Normal: 120/70 to 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The top number is systolic pressure, when the heart is pumping. Bottom number is diastolic pressure then the heart is at rest. Blood pressure can be too low (hypotension) or too high (hypertension). | No conversion | |
| C peptide | 0.5-2.0 ng/ml | 0.17-0.66 nmol/liter | x 0.33 |
| Calcium, serum | 8.5 -10.5 mg/dl | 2.1-2.6 mmol/liter | x 0.25 |
| Calcium, urine | 0-300 mg/24h | 0.0-7.5 mmol/24h | x 0.025 |
| Cholesterol, total Desirable Marginal High | 239 mg/dL | 6.18 mmol/liter | x 0.02586 |
| Cholesterol, LDL Desirable Marginal High Very High | 190 mg/dL | 4.91 mmol/liter | x 0.02586 |
| Cholesterol, HDL Desirable Moderate Low (heart risk) | >60 mg/dL 40-60 mg/dL | >1.55 mmol/liter 1.03-1.55 mmol/liter | x 0.02586 |
| Cortisol: serum | 0-25 µg/dl (depends on time of day) | 0-690 nmol/liter | x 27.59 |
| Cortisol: free (urine) | 20-70 µg/dl | 55-193 nmol/24h | x 2.759 |
| Creatine kinase | W 40-150 units/liter M 60-400 units/liter | W 0.67-2.50 µkat/liter M 1.00-6.67 µkat/liter | x 0.01667 |
| DHEA | W 130-980 ng/dl M 180-1250 ng/dl | W 4.5-34.0 nmol/liter M 6.24-43.3 nmol/liter | x 0.03467 |
| DHEA Sulfate | W Pre-menopause: 12-535 µg/dl W Post-menopause: 30-260 µg/dl M 10-619 µg/dl | W Pre-menopause: 120-5350 µg/liter W Post-menopause: 300-2600 µg/liter M 100-6190 µg/liter | x 10 |
| Eosinophils | 0-8% of white blood cells | 0.0-0.8 fraction of white blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (Sed Rate) | W<=30 mm/h M<=20 mm/h | W<=30 mm/h M<=20 mm/h | No conversion |
| Folate | 3.1-17.5 ng/ml | 7.0-39.7 nmol/liter | x 2.266 |
| Glucose, urine | <0.05 g/dl | <0.003 mmol/litro | x 0.05551 |
| Glucose, plasma | 70-110 mg/dl | 3.9-6.1 mmol/liter | x 0.05551 |
| GGT (Gamma glutamyl transferase) | W <=45U/L M <=65 U/L | W <=45U/L M <=65 U/L | No conversion |
| Hematocrit | W 36.0% – 46.0% of red blood cells M 37.0% – 49.0% of red blood cells | W 0.36-0.46 fraction of red blood cells M 0.37-0.49 fraction of red blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Hemoglobin | W 12.0-16.0 g/dl M 13.0-18.0 g/dl | W 7.4-9.9 mmol/liter M 8.1-11.2 mmol/liter | x 0.6206 |
| LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase) (total) | <=270 U/L | <=4.5 µkat/liter | x 0.016667 |
| Lactic acid | 0.5-2.2 mmol/liter | 0.5-2.2 mmol/liter | No conversion |
| Leukocytes (WBC) | 4.5-11.0×103/mm3 | 4.5-11.0×109/liter | No conversion |
| Lymphocytes | 16%-46% of white blood cells | 0.16-0.46 fraction of white blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) | 25.0-35.0 pg/cell | 25.0-35.0 pg/cell | No conversion |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) | 31.0-37.0 g/dl | 310-370 g/liter | x 10 |
| MCV (Mean corpuscular volume) | W 78-102 µm3 M 78-100 µm3 | W 78-102 fl M 78-100 fl | No conversion |
| Monocytes | 4-11% of white blood cells | 0.04-0.11 fraction of white blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Neutrophils | 45%-75% of white blood cells | 0.45-0.75 fraction of white blood cells | x 0.01 |
| Phosphorus | 2.5 – 4.5 mg/dL | 0.81-1.45 mmol/L | x 0.323 |
| Platelets (Thrombocytes) | 130 – 400 x 10 3µL | 130 – 400 x 10 9L | No conversion |
| Potassium | 3.4-5.0 mmol/liter | 3.4-5.0 mmol/liter | No conversion |
| RBC (Red blood cell count) | W 3.9 – 5.2 x 106/µL3 M 4.4 – 5.8 x 10 6/µL3 | W 3.9 – 5.2 x 1012/L M 4.4 – 5.8 x 10 12/L | No conversion |
| Sodium | 135-145 mmol/liter | 135-145 mmol/liter | No conversion |
| Testosterone, total (morning sample) | W 6-86 ng/dl M 270-1070 ng/dl | W 0.21-2.98 nmol/liter M 9.36-37.10 nmol/liter | x 0.03467 |
| Testosterone, free Age 20-40 Age 41-60 Age 61-80 | W 0.6-3.1, M 15.0-40.0 pg/ml W 0.4-2.5, M 13.0-35.0 pg/ml W 0.2-2.0, M 12.0-28.0 pg/ml | W 20.8-107.5, M 520-1387 pmol/liter W 13.9-86.7, M 451-1213 pmol/liter W 6.9-69.3, M 416-971 pmol/liter | x 34.67 |
| Triglicerides (fasting) Normal Borderline High Very high | 40-150 mg/dl 150-200 mg/dl 200-500 mg/dl >500 mg/dl | 0.45-1.69 mmol/liter 1.69-2.26 mmol/liter 2.26-5.65 mmol/liter >5.65 mmol/liter | x 0.01129 |
| Urea, plasma (BUN) | 8-25 mg/dl | 2.9-8.9 mmol/liter | x 0.357 |
| Urinalysis – pH Specific gravity | 5.0-9.0 1.001-1.035 | 5.0-9.0 1.001-1.035 | No conversion |
| WBC (White blood cells, leukocytes) | 4.5-11.0×10 3 /mm 3 | 4.5-11.0×10 9 liter | No conversion |
TERMINOLOGY:
UNITS:
gram : common measurement of weight. Used in this table: pg (picograms), g (grams), mg (milligrams), etc. per liter
katal (kat) : a unit of catalytic activity, used especially in the chemistry of enzymes. Used in this table: µkat (microkatals), nkat (nanokatals) per liter
micrometer (µm) : a unit of length. Mean Corpuscular Volume is expressed in cubic micrometers
mole : also “gram molecular weight,” a quantity based on the atomic weight of the substance. Many test results in the Système Internationale are expressed as the number of moles per liter. In US units, these measurements are usually in grams per liter. Used in this table: mmol (millimoles), µmol, (micromoles), nmol (nanomoles), pmol (picomoles) per liter
Some units of measurement include the following fractions and multipliers:
mega (M) : 10 6 or x1,000,000
kilo (k) : 10 3 or x1,000
deca or deka : 10 1 or x10
deci (d) : 10 -1 or ÷10
milli (m) : 10 -3 or ÷1,000
micro (µ) : 10 -6 or ÷1,000,000
nano (n) : 10 -9 or ÷1,000,000,000
pico (p) : 10 -12 or ÷1,000,000,000,000
source: The AIDS Infonet