Establishment of normal "reference" ranges for biochemical parameters for healthy Saudi Arabs

Biochemical constituents in the blood of healthy individuals are subject to variations under the influence of several factors. Differences can be seen in the normal ranges established for populations living under different environmental and dietary conditions. Age and sex also affect the normal range values considerably. Normal "reference" ranges for 29 biochemical parameters, established by using blood samples from 578 male and 226 female students studying at various colleges at King Saud University, and of ages ranging between 20 and 29 years, are presented. Marked differences are found in the values for Saudi males and females. Comparison of the results obtained for Saudis with those reported for western populations also show differences in the majority of the parameters. The comparison of Saudi mean values with western mean values is presented.