Complete blood count reference intervals for healthy Han Chinese adults

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Population Health

Background:

• Complete blood count (CBC) reference intervals are crucial for disease diagnosis and health assessment.
• Existing intervals, often based on Western populations and older technologies, are unsuitable for Chinese Han adults due to distinct ethnic, dietary, and lifestyle factors.
• This multicenter study aimed to establish accurate CBC reference intervals for a healthy Han Chinese adult population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus reference intervals for CBC parameters in healthy Han Chinese adults.
• To identify and account for demographic and regional variations affecting CBC values.
• To provide updated and population-specific diagnostic benchmarks.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 4,642 healthy Han Chinese adults (2,136 males, 2,506 females) across six major Chinese cities.
• Analyzed blood samples collected in K2EDTA anticoagulant tubes using standardized methods.
• Employed analysis of variance to determine consensus intervals and assess variations.

Main Results:

• Established consensus intervals for most CBC parameters, with sex-specific intervals for red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), and hematocrit (HCT).
• Observed significantly lower median and mean platelet counts in the Chengdu center, necessitating independent interval establishment.
• Identified that thalassemia carrier status can influence RBC profile limits.

Conclusions:

• Successfully established consensus CBC reference intervals for healthy Han Chinese adults.
• Confirmed the need for sex-specific intervals for RBC, HGB, and HCT.
• Recommended independent reference intervals for platelets specifically for the Chengdu region due to observed differences.