Complete Reference Table ā All Analytes
| Analyte | Conversion Factor | Normal (mg/dL) | Normal (mmol/L) | Notes |
|---|
Why Units Differ Between Countries
The United States, most of South Asia (including India), and parts of Asia use conventional units ā primarily mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre). Most of Europe, Australia, Canada, and other countries use SI units ā primarily mmol/L (millimoles per litre). This creates confusion when interpreting imported diagnostic guidelines, clinical trial endpoints, and drug thresholds. For example, a fasting glucose of 126 mg/dL (US diabetes threshold) equals 7.0 mmol/L (UK/ADA equivalent). A cholesterol of 200 mg/dL (borderline high in US guidelines) equals 5.17 mmol/L (UK threshold for statin consideration is 5.0 mmol/L). Understanding both unit systems is essential for any clinician working with international guidelines.
Key Clinical Conversion Benchmarks to Memorise
These are the most clinically important conversion pairs that every physician should know from memory:
- Glucose: 18 mg/dL = 1 mmol/L. Fasting normal: 70ā100 mg/dL = 3.9ā5.6 mmol/L. Diabetes threshold: 126 mg/dL = 7.0 mmol/L. Hypoglycaemia: <70 mg/dL = <3.9 mmol/L
- Creatinine: 1 mg/dL ā 88.4 Āµmol/L. Normal male: 0.7ā1.2 mg/dL = 62ā106 Āµmol/L. AKI Stage 1: ā„1.5Ć baseline
- Cholesterol: Divide mg/dL by 38.67 for mmol/L. Total cholesterol 200 mg/dL = 5.17 mmol/L. LDL target ā¤70 mg/dL = 1.81 mmol/L
- Triglycerides: Divide mg/dL by 88.57 for mmol/L. High: ā„150 mg/dL = 1.7 mmol/L. Very high: ā„500 mg/dL = 5.65 mmol/L (pancreatitis risk)
- Bilirubin: Divide mg/dL by 17.1 for Āµmol/L. Jaundice threshold: ~3 mg/dL = 51 Āµmol/L (clinically visible scleral icterus typically at >2.5ā3 mg/dL)
- Uric acid: Divide mg/dL by 59.48 for mmol/L. Gout treatment target: <6 mg/dL = <357 Āµmol/L (some guidelines <5 mg/dL = <297 Āµmol/L for tophaceous gout)