ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Reference intervals are crucial decision-making tools aiding clinicians in differentiating between healthy and diseased populations. However, for children such values often are lacking or incomplete. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 692 healthy children, aged 6 months to 18 years, recruited in daycare centers and schools. Twelve common general clinical chemistry analytes were measured on the Abbott Architect ci8200 platform; sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, albumin-adjusted calcium, phosphate, magnesium, creatinine (Jaffe and enzymatic), cystatin C, urea and uric acid. RESULTS: Age- and gender specific pediatric reference intervals were defined by calculating the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. CONCLUSIONS: The data generated is primarily applicable to a Caucasian population when using the Abbott Architect platform, but could be used by any laboratory if validated for the local patient population.
