Understand your Swedish blood test results

The key points

S means serum, P plasma, B whole blood, and a small f means fasting
Sweden reports in SI units: g/L, mmol/L, nmol/L and mmol/mol for HbA1c
Cholesterol in mmol/L times 38.67 gives US mg/dL; triglycerides use 88.57
HbA1c 42 mmol/mol corresponds to 6.0 percent on the American NGSP scale
The reference interval printed on the row is what your value is compared against

How the report is built

A Swedish lab report is a list. Each row holds an analysis name with a letter in front, your value, a unit and a referensintervall (reference interval), the span your value is compared against. Values outside it are marked.

The reference interval is the doctor's point of comparison when a result is interpreted. Intervals can differ with age and sex, as they do for hemoglobin and HbA1c. What applies to your sample is always printed on the row.

The letters before the test name

The letter tells you where in the blood the analysis is done. S stands for serum, P for plasma and B for blod, whole blood. A small f in front means the sample is taken fasting.

P-Glukos is glucose measured in plasma, the fluid that remains when the blood cells are removed. fP-Glukos is the same analysis taken fasting. B-Hb is hemoglobin measured in whole blood.

Common words on a Swedish report

Hb, hemoglobin, is the protein that contains iron; the test can show whether you have anemia. Blodstatus (blood count) is a group of analyses describing the blood's composition: hemoglobin, red blood cells (EPK), the fraction of the blood made up of red cells (EVF), white blood cells (LPK) and platelets (TPK), together with measures of the red cells' size and content.

Provsvar simply means test result, and referensintervall is the comparison span. The most common tests are described in Swedish on 1177, where you can look up a word you do not recognise.

The units Sweden uses

Sweden uses SI units. Hemoglobin is given in grams per litre, g/L; the reference value is roughly 120 to 155 g/L for women and 130 to 170 g/L for men. Glucose and blood fats are given in millimoles per litre, mmol/L, and the fasting reference for P-Glukos is often stated as 4.0 to 6.0 mmol/L.

HbA1c, long-term blood sugar, has a unit of its own: millimoles per mole, mmol/mol. Without diabetes the value is usually at most 42 mmol/mol before age 50, and it rises somewhat with age. On your report you will also meet nmol/L, for example for vitamin D and several hormones.

Converting to American units

American reports give glucose in mg/dL rather than mmol/L, so the numbers are much larger. The level a Swedish report writes as 7.0 mmol/L appears as 126 mg/dL in American material.

For cholesterol, LDL and HDL, mmol/L times 38.67 gives mg/dL. For triglycerides the factor is 88.57. For HbA1c, Sweden reports the IFCC unit mmol/mol while the US uses NGSP percent; the relationship is that the NGSP percent equals 0.09148 times the IFCC value plus 2.152. A few anchor points from the NGSP table: 42 mmol/mol corresponds to 6.0 percent, 53 to 7.0 and 64 to 8.0.

When a value falls outside

Reference intervals are points of comparison, and interpretation weighs in age, sex and context. Hb has different reference values for women and men, and HbA1c rises somewhat with age. A value should be read against the right comparison.

If something falls outside, bring the report to your vårdcentral if you are unsure or have symptoms. A report where everything sits inside the intervals is an answer too.

Common questions

Why does my glucose value look so low compared to American numbers?

The unit differs. Sweden uses mmol/L and the US uses mg/dL. The level written as 7.0 mmol/L on a Swedish report is 126 mg/dL in American material.

What does fP mean in front of a test name?

The f means the sample is taken fasting and the P that the analysis is done in plasma. fP-Glukos is fasting glucose.

Is HbA1c 42 the same as 6 percent?

Yes. According to the NGSP conversion table, 42 mmol/mol corresponds to 6.0 percent. Swedish reports stay in mmol/mol.

Do all Swedish labs use the same reference intervals?

Largely. For blood fats, most regions have used shared Nordic reference intervals for many years. The interval that applies to your analysis is printed next to your value.