Abnormal Results of Annual Laboratory Checkup in Young Adults

The objective of this descriptive study was to review the usefulness and relevance of the present parameters provided in an annual laboratory health checkup program. Three hundred sixtyfour volunteers were randomly selected, composed of 141 males and 223 females age 15 to 81 years old. Samples from all the volunteers were analyzed for CBC, FBG, BUN, Cr, uric acid, Chol, HDLc, Tg, AST, ALT, ALP, UA and stool examination. More than half the young adults (67.7%, 63 of 93) had abnormal laboratory results. This was higher than in the middle-age group (56.8%, 154 of 271). blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), uric acid, cholesterol (Chol), triglyceride (Tg), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). All governmental employees can have an annual checkup once a year under governmental subsidization. Therefore, in order to control the budget, test parameters have been limited by the MOF since 1994. The cost for the laboratory investigation for employees <35 years old and ≥35 years old, has been limited to 170 baht and 620 baht, respectively. To review the relevance of the current laboratory panels, we analyzed the annual laboratory data in volunteers who had normal vital signs, and doctor’s physical examination at both private and governmental organizations. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. All subjects were checked for vital signs, and had a physical examination by a physician. All volunteers were interviewed and gave written consent before participation. Three hundred sixty-four volunteers were randomly selected. Most of them were employees of private or governmental organizations particiSOUTHEAST ASIAN J TROP MED PUBLIC HEALTH 770 Vol 36 No. 3 May 2005 pating in the annual checkup program, at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH), during July to November 2003. There were 141 males and 223 females, age 15 to 81 years old. The weight (kg) and height (m) of all the volunteers was recorded to calculate the body mass index (BMI) (WHO, 1998). The BMI was calculated by dividing the weight in kg by the height in m2 (BMI = kg/m2). A BMI lower than 18.5 was considered underweight (asthenic), 18.5 to 24.9 was considered normal, 25.0 to 29.9 was considered overweight, and 30.0 and above was classified as obese (NIH, 2004). All the volunteers had the same laboratory panel: CBC, FBG, BUN, Cr, uric acid, Chol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc), Tg, AST, ALT, ALP, UA, and stool examination. The mean and range for each parameter was calculated. Unpaired Student’s t-test was used to calculate the differences of the results between and within the group. Statistically significant differences were set at p≤0.05. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used for association calculation (Bell, 1995).