Reference Intervals for the Adult Population of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Aim: To establish reference values of ten commonly requested blood chemistry analytes for the population of Bahawalpur Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted including 800 subjects between the ages of 19-60 years, who were randomly selected according to the guidelines set by National Committee of Clinical Laboratory Standards. The reference values were calculated using 2.5th and 97.5th percentile as lower and upper reference limits, respectively. Results: This study established the baseline values for ten commonly requested blood chemistry analytes in healthy Pakistani adults of Bahawalpur. In healthy young male adults the values were fasting plasma glucose, 3.7-5.4mmol/L; serum cholesterol, 3.4-5.2mmol/L; triglycerides, 0.7-2.2 mmol/L; urea, 3.8-8.5mmol/L; creatinine, 0.06-0.15mmol/L; uric acid, 209-440 mu mol/L; Total bilirubin, 6.5-21.5 mu mol/L; Total proteins, 55-76g/L; alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 16-45 u/L and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 130-280 u/L. Conclusion: Age and sex specific reference intervals of some blood chemistry analytes were different from those reported in literature. It is, therefore, recommended that such studies should be carried out in other parts of Pakistan.