[Age-specific reference ranges for prostate specific antigen in 16 222 Chinese men]

To investigate the PSA level of 16 222 asymptematic men in Shenzhen who came from different areas of China, in order to find out the PSA levels of Chinese men.

Serum samples of 16 222 men who came to Peking University Shenzhen Hospital for health examination were collected, all of whom had no symptoms. Their serum PSA levels were measured with MEIA with ILMA instrument.

The mean PSA level of the 16 222 men in our research was 0.986 μg/L, and the standard deviation was 1.190. The 95% percentile was 2.375 μg/L. Of all the cases ,the 95% percentile of 15 498 was lower than 2.5 μg/L, about 95.472%;that of 699 was between 2.5-10.0 μg/L, about 4.306%;And if took 4.0 μg/L as reference value,that of 15 948 cases was below 4.0 μg/L, about 98.244%;that of 249 was between 4.0-10.0 μg/L, about 1.534%;That of only 36 cases was greater than 10.0 μg/L, about 0.222%;The 95% percentiles of the different age groups were: 10-19 years 0-1.067 μg/L;20-29 years 0-1.818 μg/L;30-39 years 0-1.914 μg/L;40-49 years 0-2.001 μg/L;50-59 years 0-2.900 μg/L;60-69 years 0-5.862 μg/L;70-79 years 0-8.536 μg/L;elder than 80 years 0-12.869 μg/L;There were statistic differences between thedifferent age groups.

Our data demonstrate that the mean value of PSA levels of Chinese men is 0.986 μg/L at present stage, and the 95% percentile is 2.375 g/L. Our PSA levels of each age group are different from Oesterling's reference values which are commonly accepted in the world. The PSA level of Chinese men who are under 60 years is lower than that of Euramericans, while the PSA level of Chinese men who are above 60 years is higher than that of Euramericans. This shows that for the men who are under 60 the reference value should be 2.5 μg/L, while for the men who are above 60, we could still use 4 μg/L as reference value.