title: On the use of patient data for the definition of reference intervals in clinical chemistry.
abstract: To improve the definition of reference intervals using patient data in clinical chemistry we studied the use of single results as a selection criterion (i.e. those results judged by the clinician not to require confirmation or which are considered unimportant for clinical screening purposes). Using this criterion 95% intervals were defined for S-albumin, S-cholesterol, S-creatinine, B-glucose, B-haemoglobin and S-urea similar to the corresponding reference intervals determined for healthy adults. Data collected from patients in the age interval 45-95 years demonstrated a significant decrease in levels of S-albumin and B-haemoglobin with age, an increase in S-creatinine, B-glucose and S-urea levels, and a biphasic variation in level of S-cholesterol. It is suggested that these changes are not caused by disease but result from the ageing process. The use of selected patient data for characterization of these changes enables a linear or polynomial description to be made for the age-related changes in the reference intervals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Blekinge County Hospital, Karlskrona, Sweden. jensk@danbbs.dk
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krøll
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saxtrup
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002624:Chemistry, Clinical; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D014508:Urea; D002784:Cholesterol; D003404:Creatinine