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Dried blood spot reference intervals for 18 amino acids in a 1 to 6 years old pediatric cohort
Min Zhang1, La La Mi2, MeiYan Song2
1Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Child Development and Nutriomics, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China; Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China.
Insights
This study establishes pediatric reference intervals for 18 amino acids in dried blood spots for Chinese children aged 1-6 years. Age did not significantly affect levels, but sex differences were noted for leucine and aspartic acid.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Accurate clinical laboratory test interpretation relies on established reference intervals.
- Limited reference intervals exist for amino acids in dried blood spots (DBS) for non-newborn children.
- This study addresses the need for pediatric-specific amino acid reference intervals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish pediatric reference intervals for 18 amino acids in DBS from healthy Chinese children aged 1-6 years.
- To investigate the influence of sex and age on these amino acid concentrations.
- To provide essential data for diagnosing and managing amino acid-related disorders in children.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 18 amino acids in DBS from 301 healthy Chinese children (1-6 years old).
- Utilized ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for amino acid quantification.
- Established reference intervals (RIs) following CLSI C28-A3 guidelines, examining age and sex effects.
Main Results:
- Reference intervals for 18 amino acids were determined using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles.
- No significant impact of age on amino acid concentrations was observed in the 1- to 6-year-old cohort.
- Significant sex-based differences were identified for leucine and aspartic acid levels.
Conclusions:
- The established reference intervals provide valuable data for the pediatric population.
- These RIs aid in the accurate diagnosis and management of amino acid-related diseases in children.
- The findings contribute to improved clinical interpretation of amino acid profiles in pediatric DBS testing.
Objectives:
Reference intervals are indispensable for the accurate clinical interpretation of clinical laboratory tests. The reference intervals of amino acids in dried blood spots (DBS) from nonnewborn children are limited. In this study, we aim to establish the pediatric reference intervals for amino acids in DBS from healthy Chinese children aged from 1 to 6 years and to investigate the effect of sex and age.
Design And Methods:
In 301 healthy subjects aged from 1 to 6 years old, eighteen DBS amino acids were determined using ultra-performance chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Amino acid concentrations were examined in relation to sex and age. Reference intervals were established according to the CLSI C28-A3 guidelines.
Results:
Reference intervals of 18 amino acids bounded by the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles were calculated in DBS specimen. No significant influence of age was observed for all the target amino acid concentrations in 1- to 6-year-olds. Sex differences were found in leucine and aspartic acid.
Conclusions:
The RIs established in the present study added value for diagnosing and managing the amino acid-related diseases in the pediatric population.
