Establishment of reference intervals for complete blood count parameters in venous blood for children in the Xiamen...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Hematology
• Clinical Pathology
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Complete blood count (CBC) parameters are essential for assessing pediatric health.
• Existing reference intervals (RIs) may not accurately reflect age-specific physiological changes in children.
• Accurate RIs are vital for diagnosing and monitoring various pediatric conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine age-specific reference intervals (RIs) for complete blood count (CBC) venous blood parameters in healthy children.
• To identify significant variations in CBC parameters across different pediatric age groups.
• To provide a basis for more accurate clinical interpretation of CBC results in children.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of venous blood samples from 4066 healthy children across four age groups: infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children.
• Measurement of 17 complete blood count (CBC) parameters.
• Establishment of reference intervals (RIs) following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) C28-A3c guidelines after outlier elimination.

Main Results:

• Significant age-dependent variations were observed in multiple CBC parameters, including white blood cell (WBC) count, absolute neutrophil count, and absolute lymphocyte count.
• Infants exhibited distinct patterns, with higher mean absolute eosinophil and platelet counts, and lower mean hemoglobin (Hb) levels compared to older children.
• Red blood cell reference intervals were consistent across age groups, except for infants.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric CBC parameters demonstrate dynamic age-related variations.
• Interpretation of CBC results in children necessitates consideration of the patient's specific age.
• The development and application of age-specific reference intervals (RIs) are essential for precise pediatric hematological assessment.