Unlocking Blood Test Volume Units: E9, E12 & More

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the meaning of blood test volume units E9 and E12, which represent Exponent 9 (10^9) for white blood cell count (WBCC) and Exponent 12 (10^12) for red blood cell count, respectively. Users also discuss the significance of other units such as UMOL/L for Creatinine and mL/min/1.73 m² for estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR), highlighting that 1.73 m² is the average body surface area used for normalization. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding these units for accurate health assessment, particularly for individuals managing conditions like diabetes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic hematology terminology, including white blood cells and red blood cells.
  • Familiarity with blood test units such as UMOL/L and mL/min.
  • Knowledge of eGFR and its significance in kidney function assessment.
  • Awareness of differential blood counts and their components (neutrophils, lymphocytes, etc.).
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of white blood cell count variations in health diagnostics.
  • Learn about the calculation and significance of eGFR in kidney health.
  • Explore the impact of body surface area normalization in laboratory results.
  • Investigate the relationship between LDL cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health.
USEFUL FOR

Individuals interpreting blood test results, healthcare professionals, medical students, and anyone interested in understanding hematological measurements and their implications for health.

DaveC426913
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I just got my blood test back and the numbers have some units I don't recognize, such as E9 and E12.

The printer seems to not be able to handle very sophisticated formatting, for example:
- one unit is listed as "UMOL/L" for Creatinine. I suspect that this is meant to be \mumols.
- another unit is listed as "mL/min/1.73 m2" for eGFR. I'm pretty sure the "m2" is m^2

So E12 is the unit for my red blood cell count.
And E9 is for white blood cell count, and a bunch of others including neuts, lymph mono, eos, baso.

Anybody know what these units are?

Exponent 9 and Exponent 12 maybe?

[ EDIT ]
It is, isn't it?

The line item actually says

WBCC (mine: 6.8) (low: 4.0)-( high:11.0) x E9/L

That means I had 6.8x10^9 WBCs per L.
 
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That sounds about right, I can't say I know for sure but I think the numbers only make sense if E9 = 10^{9}

So the number of WBC's in a liter of your blood is almost equivalent to the number of people walking around on the earth. :D. Sounds like you are healthy :P
 
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Yeah. I'm looking over all my results. They ALL fall nicely in the green. That's especially good for a Diabetic.

OK, all except LDL. I got a 2.84. My doc want to see it under 2.00.
 
I haven't had a blood test for years. I probably should go someday soon.

Oh well on the LDL, let it be motivation :-).
 
DaveC426913 said:
I just got my blood test back and the numbers have some units I don't recognize, such as E9 and E12.

The printer seems to not be able to handle very sophisticated formatting, for example:
- one unit is listed as "UMOL/L" for Creatinine. I suspect that this is meant to be \mumols.

Correct.
- another unit is listed as "mL/min/1.73 m2" for eGFR. I'm pretty sure the "m2" is m^2

Correct. 1.73 m^2 is average body surface area (hence the figure is normed to the average build). eGFR is estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, a measure of basic kidney function.

So E12 is the unit for my red blood cell count.
And E9 is for white blood cell count, and a bunch of others including neuts, lymph mono, eos, baso.

Exponents to base 10. Neuts = Neutrophils, Lymph = Lymphocytes, Mono = Monocytes, Eos = Eosinophils, Baso = Basophils. All various subtypes of white blood cells. It's called a 'differential count'.
 
Curious3141 said:
Correct. 1.73 m^2 is average body surface area (hence the figure is normed to the average build). eGFR is estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, a measure of basic kidney function.
Yeah. I thought this was interesting - a unit of area. Not a common measurement in biology.

That particular result also has a footnote: "For patients of African descent, the reported eGFR must be multiplied by a correction factor of 1.21."

Perhaps Africans have less skin and it's stretched particularly tightly over their frames...:biggrin:
 
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