Estimating Normal Reference Interval for Soluble B-Cell Maturation Antigen Levels in Adults: A Prospective Study from...

This study aimed to estimate the reference interval for soluble B cell maturation antigen (sBCMA) in adults from Southern India.

A total of 84 participants were enrolled. The sBCMA levels were measured, and statistical analyses were performed to assess differences across gender, age, and the presence of comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia (DLP), and obesity. Reference intervals were determined using a nonparametric approach with 95% coverage.

The median sBCMA level was 74 ng/ml, with a mean of 75.52 ± 12.99 ng/ml. No significant differences were observed in sBCMA levels across gender, age, or comorbidities (p > 0.05). The mean differences between subgroups were below 13 ng/ml (25% of 52 ng/ml), indicating that partitioning reference ranges by subgroups was not required. The suggested reference interval for sBCMA in the study population is 54.75-106.75 ng/ml at 95% coverage. The suggested reference interval for our population is notably higher than that reported for the Caucasian population. Multiple reasons can account for this difference, including ethnic and genetic variation, environmental exposure, nutritional factors, analytical variation, and population characteristics.

This study provides a population-specific reference interval for sBCMA in South Indian adults. Given the significant difference from Caucasian reference values, further research is needed to explore the underlying causes of this variation.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12288-025-02130-8.