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Establishment of pediatric reference intervals for complete blood count parameters in capillary blood in Beijing
MeiYan Song1, ShuZhi Dai2, Jing Li2
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Insights
This study establishes crucial capillary blood reference intervals for 22 complete blood count parameters in children aged 3 months to 18 years. These findings provide essential data for accurate pediatric health assessments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Clinical Pathology
- Reference Interval Establishment
Background:
- Reference intervals (RIs) are vital for distinguishing healthy individuals from those with disease.
- Complete blood count (CBC) testing in children commonly uses capillary blood.
- Existing capillary blood RIs for pediatric CBC parameters are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish capillary blood-based reference intervals (RIs) for CBC parameters.
- To cover a wide pediatric age range from 3 months to 18 years.
- To serve the pediatric population in Beijing.
Main Methods:
- Collected 6799 capillary blood specimens from children (3 months to 18 years).
- Analyzed 22 CBC parameters.
- Calculated RIs and 90% confidence intervals following CLSI C28-A3 guidelines.
Main Results:
- Established capillary blood RIs for 22 CBC parameters in children aged 3 months to 18 years.
- Observed age-related increases in red blood cell parameters, higher in males.
- Noted stable white blood cell counts and decreasing platelet levels in the first year.
Conclusions:
- Successfully established comprehensive capillary blood RIs for 22 CBC parameters in children.
- The established RIs cover a broad pediatric age spectrum in Beijing.
- Validated results confirmed the reliability of the new RIs.
Background:
Reference intervals (RIs) are normal ranges of clinical indicators established from healthy subjects, and comparing test results with RIs is the first step for clinicians in differentiating between healthy and diseased subjects. Capillary blood is widely used in complete blood count (CBC) tests in children; however, capillary blood-based RIs for the CBC parameters are still lacking for all pediatric populations. The aim of this study was to establish capillary blood-based RIs for the CBC parameters in children aged 3 months to 18 years in Beijing.
Methods:
A total of 6799 capillary blood specimens from children were collected, including 3832 males and 2967 females aged 3 months to 18 years, and CBC parameters were analyzed. Data analysis, RI calculations, and 90% confidence interval (CI) calculations were performed according to CLSI C28-A3 guidelines.
Results:
Capillary blood RIs for 22 CBC parameters were established in children aged 3 months to 18 years. The levels of most red blood cell-related parameters increased with age and were generally higher in males than in females. White blood cell counts were relatively stable, with no obvious upward or downward trends from 3 months to 18 years of age. Platelet levels decreased within the first year and tended to be stable thereafter. Further validation with 458 healthy children illustrated that the verified results were within the established RIs with a 90%-100% proportion.
Conclusion:
We established capillary blood RIs for 22 CBC parameters in children across a broad age range in Beijing.