Reference Intervals

Reference Intervals: Practical Aspects

Arguably, one of the most important elements of a laboratory test is the reference interval, the values that help clinicians interpret their patients’ test results. Interestingly, though, laboratorians spend surprisingly little time formally addressing the issue of reference intervals. Typically, they adopt the intervals given them by manufacturers, neither establishing the intervals themselves...

Estimating reference intervals.

As indicated in the thought-provoking article in this issue of the Journal by Katayev and colleagues, 1 there are few things more important than the reference intervals we report along with our laboratory measurements. Unfortunately, we laboratory professionals give them far too little attention, adopting manufacturers' recommended intervals, often without even verifying them ourselves and, rar...

Laboratory Reference Intervals in Africa

Haematological Reference Intervals in a Multiethnic Population

INTRODUCTION Similar to other populations, full blood count reference (FBC) intervals in Malaysia are generally derived from non-Malaysian subjects. However, numerous studies have shown significant differences between and within populations supporting the need for population specific intervals. METHODS Two thousand seven hundred twenty five apparently healthy adults comprising all ages, both ...

Establishing pediatric reference intervals: a challenging task.

Defining pediatric reference intervals (RIs) is one of the most difficult tasks in our profession. The continuously changing physiology of growing children makes their laboratory values a moving target. To measure specific analytes in the pediatric age range, one has to consider the interindividual variation of not only the homeostatic set point but also the developmental stage of each individu...