Functional reference limits: A case study of serum ferritin

Gorkem Sezgin, Tze Ping Loh, Corey Markus

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)
    47 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Reference intervals depend on the distribution of results within a reference population and can be influenced by subclinical disease. Functional reference limits present an opportunity to derive clinically relevant reference limits from routinely collected data sources, which consist of mixed populations of unhealthy and healthy groups. Serum ferritin is a good example of the utility of functional reference limits. Several studies have identified clinically relevant reference limits through examining the relationship between serum ferritin and erythrocyte parameters. These ferritin functional limits often represent the inflection point at which erythrocyte parameters change significantly. Comparison of ferritin functional reference limits with those based on population distributional reference limits reveals that the lower reference limit may fall below the point at which patients become clinically unwell. Functional reference limits may be considered for any biomarker that exhibits a correlated relationship with other biomarkers.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)69-77
    Number of pages9
    JournalJournal of Laboratory Medicine
    Volume45
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2021

    Keywords

    • functional reference limit
    • harmonization
    • reference interval
    • serum ferritin

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Functional reference limits: A case study of serum ferritin'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this