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 |
239 mg/dL |
|
x 0.02586 |
|
Cholesterol, LDL |
|
|
x 0.02586 |
|
Cholesterol, HDL |
|
|
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 |
W 0.67-2.50 µkat/liter |
x 0.01667 |
|
DHEA |
W 130-980 ng/dl |
W 4.5-34.0 nmol/liter |
x 0.03467 |
|
DHEA Sulfate |
W Pre-menopause: 12-535 µg/dl |
W Pre-menopause: 120-5350 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 |
W<=30 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 |
W <=45U/L |
No conversion |
|
Hematocrit |
W 36.0% – 46.0% of red blood cells |
W 0.36-0.46 fraction of red blood cells |
x 0.01 |
|
Hemoglobin |
W 12.0-16.0 g/dl |
W 7.4-9.9 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 |
W 78-102 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 |
W 3.9 – 5.2 x 1012/L |
No conversion |
|
Sodium |
135-145 mmol/liter |
135-145 mmol/liter |
No conversion |
|
Testosterone, total (morning sample) |
W 6-86 ng/dl |
W 0.21-2.98 nmol/liter |
x 0.03467 |
|
Testosterone, free
|
|
|
x 34.67 |
|
Triglicerides (fasting) |
|
|
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 |
5.0-9.0 |
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