Clinical Pathology: General Principles, Clinical Chemistry

• Historically, serum concentrations of urea have been expressed in terms of its nitrogen content. This occurred because, in the early years of clinical chemistry, the quantity of nitrogen in urea was compared with levels of other non-protein nitrogen-containing compounds.<

• Traditionally, urea concentration is still calculated in terms of the urea nitrogen when expressed on a mass basis.

• However, in SI (International System) units, the urea nitrogen is expressed as mmol/L of the intact molecule.

Lamb EJ, Price CP: Kidney function tests.In: Burtis CA, Ashwood ER, Bruns DE, eds. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 5th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders, 2012:669–707.

 
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