[Mausyf]

Are biochemistry results different in Australia

by Mausyf on Fri Dec 23, 2011 5:40 pm

Hi! New here, just wondering why my results for blood tests etc don't seem like the ones everybody here describes for my Myeloma. For instance my Total ptotein is 85g/L Calcium 2.34 mmol/L Cor Calcium 2.32mmol?L Urea 3.7mmol?L. what does all this mean, and what is mmol? Thankyou. Maureen

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Are biochemistry results different in Australia

by Nancy Shamanna on Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:16 pm

Hi Mausyf...In Canada and in Australia, we are on the metric system of course. Could it be that you are comparing results with the 'imperial' system, used in the US?

On my lab results, there is a column giving the 'normal range'. For example, for calcium the normal range is 2.10 - 2.55, for Protein,SPE, the normal is 63-80. I think that is in mmol. You can ask the clinic for a copy of your lab results and compare your results to the normal.
mmol is a measurement of 'milli moles/litre'. Milli moles are one thousandth of a mole...think I remember that from chem class...please correct me if I am wrong! 'l' means 'litre'.

[Mausyf]

Re: Are biochemistry results different in Australia

by Mausyf on Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:28 pm

Thanks Nancy. I failed Maths at school so don't ask me lol thanks for your answer though! Merry xmas

[terryl1]

Re: Are biochemistry results different in Australia

by terryl1 on Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:12 am

The mole system i.e. mmol/l is used in some labs. The mole is a measure of weight used in chemistry, I believe. The other system is also a metric system, not the imperial system. Both systems are used all over the place, sometimes even in the same institution, like the NIH in the US. It is easy to convert from one to the other. There are conversion calculators online that will take you from mmol/l to mg/dl at the click of a mouse and vice versa. 2.36mmol/l, for example, is approximately, 9.44 mg/dl and both are part of the same overall metric system. Also, contrary to popular international belief, we in the US learn both the British imperial measurement system and the metric system. The metric system is exclusively used in our laboritories, science classrooms in high school and universities.

[Nancy Shamanna]

Re: Are biochemistry results different in Australia

by Nancy Shamanna on Sat Dec 24, 2011 11:58 am

Hi Terri and Mausy, Thanks so much for the info, Terri. I have also had trouble following the lab results discussed in this website at times. Good to know we are all on the scientific, metric system when it comes to medical lab results. I will try to look up the conversion table.

When we switched over to metric in Canada, in 1977, there was mass confusion here! We had to switch from Fahrenheit degrees to Celsius, acres to hectares, inches/feet/miles to cm/ meters/ kilometres and even from gallons to litres. Did you know that there are actually two measurements for gallons...the one we had previously was different from the American gallon. Some of the older folks never came to grips with all of this change, but of course the younger people were all brought up using metric, which is an easier system to use, being all based on the decimal system. It was expensive to make the change though, since a lot of stuff had to be re-calibrated or re-worked, as in manufacturing.

So please excuse me for thinking that the medical world also had two differing systems of measurement!

And Merry Christmas to you!