Unlocking Blood Test Volume Units: E9, E12 & More

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the interpretation of blood test results, specifically focusing on unfamiliar units such as E9 and E12, and their implications for various blood cell counts. Participants explore the meanings of these units and their relevance to health metrics, including eGFR and other blood components.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the meaning of units E9 and E12 in their blood test results, suggesting they may represent exponentiation (10^9 and 10^12).
  • Another participant agrees that E9 likely corresponds to 10^9, relating it to the white blood cell count (WBC) in a liter of blood.
  • A participant notes that their blood test results are within healthy ranges, except for LDL levels, which they express concern about.
  • Another participant confirms the interpretation of the units UMOL/L and mL/min/1.73 m2, suggesting that 1.73 m2 refers to average body surface area.
  • There is a discussion about the differential count of white blood cells, with clarifications on the abbreviations for various cell types.
  • A later reply introduces a footnote regarding eGFR for patients of African descent, suggesting a correction factor, which raises a question about biological measurements.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the interpretation of the units E9 and E12 as exponents, but there is no consensus on the implications of the correction factor for eGFR in patients of African descent. The discussion includes both agreement and differing perspectives on the significance of certain blood test results.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the implications of the correction factor for eGFR, and there are unresolved questions regarding the biological significance of using area as a measurement in this context.

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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