Estimated reference interval of ionized [free] calcium

ABSTRACT

To determine the reference values of Ca++ in whole blood in our setup. The Department of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi from Jan 2008 to June 2008. Three hundred healthy individuals were included in the study after obtaining written consent. Out of these 76 individuals were excluded from the study after clinical assessment and collection of laboratory data. One hundred and fourteen were males with mean age 35 +/- 12 years and 110 were females, with mean age 28 +/- 9 years of age. Their Ca++ was estimated by ion selective electrode [ISE] method in heparinized whole blood [WB]. The mean and SD of whole blood Ca++ was calculated separately for the females and the males. The results showed that in our setup males have Ca++ levels of 1.12 +/- 0.05 [mean +/- SD] mmol/l and females have Ca++ levels of 1.12 +/- 0.04 [mean +/- SD] mmol/l. The study revealed that estimated reference range of Ca++ of the studied population was lower than the reference range published for the western population that is used by our physicians for the interpretation and comparison of results: