title: Urinary beta 2- and alpha 1-microglobulin levels in normal subjects in Singapore.
abstract: Differing normal values for urinary beta 2-microglobulin have been reported for different countries. In this study, we have attempted to establish the urinary beta 2- and alpha 1-microglobulin levels of apparently healthy subjects in Singapore. Urine samples collected from 271 subjects were analysed. The subjects ranged from 19 to 62 years old, with a mean age of 36.8 years. The majority (84.5%) were non-smokers. Urine samples with a pH level < 5.5 were excluded from the analysis. The urinary beta 2- and alpha 1-microglobulin values followed log normal distributions. Their 95th percentiles were 288 micrograms/g creatinine and 7.35 mg/g creatinine, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between sexes and ethnic groups for urinary beta 2-microglobulin values. Both alpha 1- and beta 2-microglobulin values increased significantly with age. Smokers had significantly higher urinary alpha 1-microglobulin values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Health, Ministry of Labour, Singapore.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chia
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chio
authors.forename: O Y
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Kwok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000510:Alpha-Globulins / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012846:Singapore; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D000510:Alpha-Globulins; C016001:alpha-1-microglobulin; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin