Population-based pediatric reference intervals for hematology, iron and transferrin

Abstract

Reference intervals are crucial decision-making tools aiding clinicians in differentiating between healthy and diseased populations. However, for children such values often are lacking or incomplete. Blood samples were obtained from 689 healthy children, aged 6 months to 18 years, recruited in day care centers and schools. Hematology and anemia analytes were measured on the Siemens Advia 2120 and Abbott Architect ci8200 platforms (hemoglobin, erythrocyte volume fraction [EVF], erythrocytes, mean corpuscular volume [MCV], mean corpuscular hemoglobin [MCH], mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration [MCHC], reticulocytes, leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, platelets, iron, transferrin, transferrin saturation). Age- and gender-specific pediatric reference intervals were defined by calculating 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. The data generated is primarily applicable to a Caucasian population, but could be used by any laboratory if verified for the local patient population.

Key Words::

• Pediatrics
• children
• reference values
• hematology
• erythrocytes
• leukocytes
• blood platelets
• iron
• transferrin

Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the Uppsala-Örebro Regional Research Council and Center for Clinical Research, Falun, Sweden (RFR-10258).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.