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SI Units for Clinical Data

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How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Table of Contents About the Dictionary Using the Dictionary

SI Units for Clinical Data


The following table provides factors for converting conventional units to SI units for selected clinical data. Source: JAMA Author Instructions. Conversion: to convert from the conventional unit to the SI unit, multiply by the conversion factor; to convert from the SI unit to the conventional unit, divide by the conversion factor.
Component Acetaminophen Acetoacetic acid Acetone Acid phosphatase Alanine Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) Albumin Alcohol dehydrogenase Aldolase Aldosterone Alkaline phosphatase Aluminum Aminobutyric acid Amitriptyline Ammonia (as NH3) Amylase Androstenedione Angiotensin I Angiotensin II Anion gap Antidiuretic hormone Antithrombin III alpha1-Antitrypsin Apolipoprotein A Apolipoprotein B Arginine Asparagine Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) Bicarbonate Bilirubin Blood gases (arterial) Paco2 mm Hg 1.0 mm Hg Conventional Unit g/mL mg/dL mg/dL units/L mg/dL units/L g/dL units/L units/L ng/dL units/L ng/mL mg/dL ng/mL g/dL units/L ng/dL pg/mL pg/mL mEq/L pg/mL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL units/L mEq/L mg/dL Conversion SI Unit Factor 6.62 0.098 0.172 1.0 112.2 1.0 10 1.0 1.0 0.0277 1.0 0.0371 97 3.61 0.587 1.0 0.0349 0.772 0.957 1.0 0.923 10 0.184 0.01 0.01 57.4 75.7 1.0 1.0 17.1 mol/L mmol/L mmol/L U/L mol/L U/L g/L U/L U/L nmol/L U/L mol/L mol/L nmol/L mol/L U/L nmol/L pmol/L pmol/L mmol/L pmol/L mg/L mol/L g/L g/L mol/L mol/L U/L mmol/L mol/L

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SI Units for Clinical Data

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pH Pao2 Bromide C-peptide C1 esterase inhibitor C3 complement C4 complement Calcitonin Calcium Carbon dioxide Carboxyhemoglobin

pH units mm Hg mg/dL ng/mL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL pg/mL mg/dL mEq/L mEq/L % of hemoglobin saturation g/dL mg/dL mEq/L mg/dL mg/dL g/dL g/24 hr pg/mL g/dL ng/mL mg/dL units/L mg/dL mL/min mg/L ng/mL ng/mL g/mL ng/mL pg/mL mm/h pg/mL ng/mL ng/dL mg/dL mg/L ng/mL ng/mL mg/dL g/mL ng/mL mIU/mL

1.0 1.0 0.125 0.333 10 0.01 0.01 1.0 0.25 0.50 1.0 0.01

pH units mm Hg mmol/L nmol/L mg/L g/L g/L ng/L mmol/L mmol/L mmol/L Proportion of hemoglobin saturation mol/L mg/L mmol/L mmol/L mol/L mol/L nmol/d pmol/L nmol/L nmol/L mol/L U/L mol/L mL/s mol/L nmol/L nmol/L mol/L nmol/L pmol/L mm/h pmol/L nmol/L pmol/L mmol/L mol/L pmol/L g/L mol/L mol/L nmol/L IU/L

Carotene Ceruloplasmin Chloride Cholesterol Citrate Copper Coproporphyrins (urine) Corticotropin (ACTH) Cortisol Cotinine Creatine Creatine kinase (CK) Creatinine Creatinine clearance Cyanide Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Desipramine Diazepam Digoxin Epinephrine Erythrocyte sedimentation rate Estradiol Estriol Estrone Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) Ethylene glycol Ferritin alpha -Fetoprotein Fibrinogen Fluoride Folate Follicle-stimulating hormone

0.0186 10 1.0 0.0259 52.05 0.157 1.527 0.22 27.59 5.68 76.26 1.0 88.4 0.0167 23.24 3.47 3.75 3.512 1.281 5.46 1.0 3.671 3.467 37 0.217 16.11 2.247 1.0 0.0294 52.6 2.266 1.0

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SI Units for Clinical Data

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Fructose Galactose Glucagon Glucose Glutamine gamma -Glutamyltransferase (GGT) Glycated hemoglobin (glycosylated hemoglobin A1, A1C) Glycerol (free) Glycine Haptoglobin Hematocrit Hemoglobin (whole blood) Mass concentration High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) Histidine Homocysteine (total) Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) Hydroxybutyric acid Hydroxyproline Immunoglobulin A (IgA) Immunoglobulin D (IgD) Immunoglobulin E (IgE) Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Immunoglobulin M (IgM) Insulin Iron, total Iron binding capacity, total lsoleucine lsopropanol Lactate (lactic acid) Lactate dehydrogenase Lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes (LD1-LD5) Lead Leucine Lipase Lipids (total) Lipoprotein (a) Lithium Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) Luteinizing hormone (LH, leutropin) Lysine Magnesium

mg/dL mg/dL pg/mL mg/dL mg/dL units/L % of total hemoglobin mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL % g/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/L mlU/mL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL IU/mL g/dL g/dL mg/dL mg/L mg/dL units/L % g/dL mg/dL units/L mg/dL mg/dL mEq/L mg/dL IU/L mg/dL mg/dL

55.5 55.506 1.0 0.0555 68.42 1.0 0.01 108.59 133.3 0.10 0.01 10.0 0.6206 0.0259 64.45 7.397 1.0 96.05 76.3 0.01 10 10 0.01 0.01 6.945 0.179 0.179 76.24 0.0166 0.111 1 0.01 0.0483 76.237 1.0 0.01 0.0357 1.0 0.0259 1.0 68.5 0.411

mol/L mol/L ng/L mmol/L mol/L U/L Proportion of total hemoglobin mol/L mol/L mol/L Proportion of 1.0 g/L mmol/L mmol/L mol/L mol/L IU/L mol/L mol/L g/L mg/L mg/L g/L g/L pmol/L mol/L mol/L mol/L mmol/L mmol/L U/L Proportion of 1.0 mol/L mol/L U/L g/L mol/L mmol/L mmol/L lU/L mol/L mmol/L

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SI Units for Clinical Data

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mEq/L Manganese Methanol Methemoglobin Methionine Myoglobin Nicotine Nitrogen, nonprotein Norepinephrine Ornithine Osmolality Osteocalcin Oxalate Parathyroid hormone Phenobarbital Phenylalanine Phenytoin Phosphorus Plasminogen Plasminogen activator inhibitor Platelets (thrombocytes) Potassium Pregnanediol (urine) Pregnanetriol (urine) Progesterone Prolactin Proline Prostate-specific antigen Protein, total Prothrombin Prothrombin time (protime, PT) Protoporphyrin, erythrocyte Pyruvate Quinidine Red blood cell count Renin Reticulocyte count Salicylate Serine Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) Sodium ng/mL mg/L % of total hemoglobin mg/dL g/L mg/L mg/dL pg/mL mg/dL mOsm/kg g/L mg/L pg/mL mg/L mg/dL g/mL mg/dL mg/dL % mIU/mL x 103/L mEq/L mg/24h mg/24 h ng/mL g/L mg/dL ng/mL g/dL g/L s g/dL mg/dL g/mL x 10 /L pg/mL % of RBCs mg/L mg/dL ng/mL mEq/L
6

0.50 18.2 0.0312 0.01 67.02 0.0571 6.164 0.714 0.00591 75.67 1.0 0.171 11.1 1.0 4.31 60.54 3.96 0.323 0.113 0.01 1.0 1.0 1.0 3.12 2.97 3.18 43.478 86.86 1.0 10.0 13.889 1.0 0.01777 113.6 3.08 1.0 0.0237 0.01 0.00724 95.2 0.00568 1.0 0.131

mmol/L nmol/L mmol/L Proportion of total hemoglobin mol/L nmol/L mol/L mmol/L nmol/L mol/L mmol/kg nmol/L mol/L ng/L mol/L mol/L mol/L mmol/L mol/L Proportion of 1.0 IU/L x 109/L mmol/L mol/d mol/d nmol/L pmol mol/L g/L g/L mol/L s mol/L mol/L mol/L x 1012/L pmol/L Proportion of 1.0 mmol/L mol/L mol/L mmol/L nmol/L (coagulation factor II)

Somatomedin-C (insulinlike growth factor) ng/mL

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SI Units for Clinical Data

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Somatostatin Taurine Testosterone Theophylline Thiocyanate Threonine Thyroglobulin Thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH) Thyroxine, free (T4) Thyroxine, total (T4) Transferrin Triglycerides Triiodothyronine Free (T3) Resin uptake Total (T3) Troponin I (cardiac) Troponin T (cardiac) Tryptophan Tyrosine Urea nitrogen Uric acid Valine Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide Vitamin A (retinol) Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Vitamin D
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D 25-Hydroxyvitamin D

pg/mL mg/dL ng/dL g/mL mg/L mg/dL ng/mL mIU/L ng/dL g/dL mg/dL mg/dL pg/dL % ng/dL ng/mL ng/mL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL mg/dL pg/mL g/dL ng/mL pg/mL mg/dL pg/mL ng/mL mg/dL ng/mL g/mL x 10 /L % g/dL
3

0.611 79.91 0.0347 5.55 17.2 83.95 1.0 1.0 12.87 12.87 0.01 0.0113 0.0154 0.01 0.0154 1.0 1.0 48.97 55.19 0.357 59.48 85.5 1.0 0.0349 4.046 0.738 56.78 2.6 2.496 23.22 2.22 3.247 1.0 0.01 0.153

pmol/L mol/L nmol/L mol/L mol/L mol/L g/L mIU/L pmol/L nmol/L g/L mmol/L pmol/L Proportion of 1.0 nmol/L g/L g/L mol/L mol/L mmol/L mol/L mol/L ng/L mol/L nmol/L pmol/L mol/L pmol/L nmol/L mol/L nmol/L mol/L x 109/L Proportion of 1.0 mol/L

Vitamin E Vitamin K Warfarin White blood cell count White blood cell differential count (number fraction) Zinc

Return to the Dictionary Contents page. You are welcome to email the author (rowlett@email.unc.edu) with comments and suggestions. All material in this folder is copyright 2001 by Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Permission is granted for personal use and for use by individual teachers in conducting their own classes. All other rights reserved. You are welcome to make links to this

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SI Units for Clinical Data

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page, but please do not copy the contents of any page in this folder to another site. The material at this site will be updated from time to time.
June 13, 2001

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/clinical_data.html

1/8/2013

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