Body Surface Area Calculator

How Body Surface Area Calculator Works

Body Surface Area (BSA) Calculator estimates the total surface area of a person's body based on their height and weight. BSA is often used in medicine, especially in determining drug dosages and medical treatments. Simply input your height in centimeters and weight in kilograms, and our calculator will compute your estimated BSA, providing useful information for medical practitioners.

Body Surface Area Calculator

This page provides you with a body surface area (BSA) calculator and information about this important measurement.

What is Body Surface Area?

BSA is the total surface area of the human body. It's a crucial measurement used in various medical calculations, including:

Metabolic rate: BSA is a better indicator of metabolic rate than body weight alone. This is because metabolic rate is related to the surface area available for heat exchange.

Drug dosages: Certain medications, particularly chemotherapy drugs, are dosed based on BSA. Cardiac output: BSA is used to calculate cardiac index, which measures the heart's performance relative to body size.

How to Use the BSA Calculator:

• Enter your gender (male or female).
• Enter your body weight in pounds or kilograms.
• Enter your body height in feet and inches or centimeters.
• Click the Calculate button.

The calculator will display your BSA in square meters (m^2).

Average BSAs:

Popular BSA Formulas:

• Du Bois formula: This is the most widely used formula and is considered accurate for both obese and non-obese individuals.
• Mosteller formula: This formula is simpler and easier to use than the Du Bois formula.
• Haycock formula: This formula is accurate for children and adults.
• Gehan and George formula: This formula is accurate for adults.
• Boyd formula: This formula is accurate for children and adults.
• Fujimoto formula: This formula is accurate for adults and children.
• Takahira formula: This formula is accurate for adults and children.
• Schlich formula: This formula accounts for gender and is accurate for adults.

Limitations of BSA:

While BSA is a valuable tool, it has limitations. It may not be accurate for individuals with extreme body compositions, such as those who are very muscular or obese. Additionally, BSA does not account for individual variations in metabolism.

References:

• Du Bois D, Du Bois EF (Jun 1916). "A formula to estimate the approximate surface area if height and weight be known". Archives of Internal Medicine 17 (6): 863-71. PMID 2520314. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
• Mosteller RD. "Simplified calculation of body-surface area". N Engl J Med 1987; 317:1098. PMID 3657876. Haycock GB, Schwartz GJ, Wisotsky DH "Geometric method for measuring body surface area: A height-weight formula
• validated in infants, children and adults" J Pediatr 1978, 93:62-66. Gehan EA, George SL, Cancer Chemother Rep 1970, 54:225-235
• Boyd, Edith (1935). The Growth of the Surface Area of the Human Body. University of Minnesota. The Institute of Child Welfare, Monograph Series, No. x. London: Oxford University Press
• Fujimoto S, Watanabe T, Sakamoto A, Yukawa K, Morimoto K. Studies on the physical surface area of Japanese. 18. Calculation formulae in three stages over all ages. Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi 1968;5:443-50.
• Schlich E, Schumm M, Schlich M: "3-D-Body-Scan als anthropometrisches Verfahren zur Bestimmung der spezifischen Korperoberflache". Ernahrungs Umschau 2010;57:178-183

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice.

Please consult with a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.