Vitamin B12
What it measures
Indian reports use pg/mL, which is identical to ng/L; pmol/L is the SI form and is a different number for the same result. B12 is screened for more often in India than in many countries, because a largely vegetarian diet is a common route to low levels — the vitamin is not produced by plants. It is usually read alongside the red-cell indices, since a shortage shows up there before symptoms appear.
Reading it in a different unit
This lab reports Vitamin B12 in pg/ml. Reports from other labs — especially ones using European or US-style formatting — sometimes use a different unit for the same measurement. The relationship between them:
ng/l is the same value as pg/ml under a different name — nothing to calculate, just a different label on the same number.
| Reported unit | How it relates to pg/ml |
|---|---|
| pmol/l | pg/ml = pmol/l × 1.355 |
Unit conversions verified against published molar masses and LOINC definitions. This is not a diagnostic reference — the normal range for any test is set by the laboratory that ran it and printed on your report.
Why this matters for tracking a trend
A value plotted next to earlier results only tells you something if every point is on the same scale. Two readings of the same test from two different labs, in two different units, can look like a dramatic change when nothing about your actual result changed — only the unit did. Converting to one scale before comparing is what keeps a trend line honest.
LOINC code for this test: 2132-9.
General information about laboratory measurement, not medical advice. Whether a specific result is normal for you depends on your lab's reference range, your history and your doctor's judgement — not on this page.