What it means
A metric (SI) unit of concentration. A micromole is one millionth of a mole, a counted amount of molecules. Many countries report creatinine, bilirubin and other lab values in µmol/L; US labs often use mg/dL for the same tests, so the numbers look very different. For example, a creatinine of 1.0 mg/dL is about 88 µmol/L.
For the nurse
Always check the unit before comparing a result with a normal range or a past value.
At a glance
| Also written | umol/L, μmol/L, micromoles per liter |
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Related terms
creatinine
A waste product of muscle that the kidneys remove from the blood; its blood level is used to measure how well the kidneys work.
bilirubin
A yellow pigment made when old red blood cells break down, which the liver clears into bile.
SI
An abbreviation with several meanings: International System of Units, suicidal ideation, or sacroiliac.