Hematology reference values. Analysis by different statistical technics and variations with age and sex

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Hematologic parameters are crucial for health assessment.
• Establishing accurate reference intervals is vital for clinical interpretation.
• Understanding age and sex influences on hematologic values is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine reference intervals for key hematologic parameters in a healthy adult population.
• To investigate the influence of age and sex on these hematologic parameters.
• To assess the distributional characteristics of hematologic parameters.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of leukocyte count, erythrocyte count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, and MCHC in 1,744 healthy individuals.
• Application of both Gaussian and nonparametric statistical methods to derive 95% reference intervals.
• Statistical evaluation of age and sex effects on the studied hematologic parameters.

Main Results:

• All studied hematologic parameters exhibited statistically significant deviations from Gaussian distributions.
• Significant differences in hematologic parameters were observed across different age groups.
• Leukocyte count, erythrocyte count, MCV, and MCH showed the most pronounced age-related variations.

Conclusions:

• Standard Gaussian statistical methods may not be fully appropriate for all hematologic parameters.
• Age is a significant factor influencing several key hematologic parameters.
• Reference intervals should account for age-related changes for accurate clinical assessment.