Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
Background: Population based reference intervals are fundamental for interpreting results for quantitative laboratory tests. In patients with a specific chronic disorder, however, results of various tests may regularly be different than in healthy individuals. Health-associated reference intervals m...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Practical Laboratory Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352551721000251 |
| _version_ | 1818915592837529600 |
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| author | Gustav Mikkelsen Børge Lillebo Arild Faxvaag |
| author_facet | Gustav Mikkelsen Børge Lillebo Arild Faxvaag |
| author_sort | Gustav Mikkelsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Population based reference intervals are fundamental for interpreting results for quantitative laboratory tests. In patients with a specific chronic disorder, however, results of various tests may regularly be different than in healthy individuals. Health-associated reference intervals may therefore have limited value in such patients. Instead, disease-associated reference intervals may be useful, as they describe the results distribution in populations resembling the specific patients. Few disease-associated reference intervals are available in the literature. The aim of this study was to estimate reference intervals for common laboratory tests for patient populations with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis without significant comorbidity, using a novel algorithm. Material and methods: Laboratory test results and hospital discharge diagnoses were collected for relevant patients. An algorithm was developed to identify discharge diagnoses significantly associated with high or low results for specific tests. After excluding patients with such diagnoses, reference intervals were estimated, representing results distributions in patients with each of the specific chronic disorders, but without significant comorbidity. Results: Disease-associated reference intervals were estimated for 20 common laboratory tests. Most of the estimated reference limits were significantly different from corresponding health-associated reference limits. Thirty percent of the estimated reference intervals were different from estimates based on crude patient populations, indicating that the algorithm applied managed to exclude patients with relevant comorbidity. Conclusion: Disease-associated reference intervals could be estimated for a number of tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease using a highly automated algorithm based on routinely recorded patient data. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:04:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cae7b40cb3704daea682f92a195658df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-5517 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:04:44Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Practical Laboratory Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-cae7b40cb3704daea682f92a195658df2022-12-21T20:00:41ZengElsevierPractical Laboratory Medicine2352-55172021-05-0125e00225Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitisGustav Mikkelsen0Børge Lillebo1Arild Faxvaag2Department of Clinical Chemistry, St Olav’s Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Postboks 3250 Torgarden, 7006, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Corresponding author. Department of Clinical Chemistry St Olavs hospital Postboks, 3250 Torgarden N, 7006, Trondheim, Norway.Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Kirkegata 2, 7601, Levanger, Norway; Clinic of Medicine and Rehabilitation, Levanger Hospital, Nord-Trøndelag Hospital Trust, Levanger, NorwayDepartment of Neuromedicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Rheumatology, St Olav’s Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Postboks 3250 Torgarden, 7006, Trondheim, NorwayBackground: Population based reference intervals are fundamental for interpreting results for quantitative laboratory tests. In patients with a specific chronic disorder, however, results of various tests may regularly be different than in healthy individuals. Health-associated reference intervals may therefore have limited value in such patients. Instead, disease-associated reference intervals may be useful, as they describe the results distribution in populations resembling the specific patients. Few disease-associated reference intervals are available in the literature. The aim of this study was to estimate reference intervals for common laboratory tests for patient populations with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis without significant comorbidity, using a novel algorithm. Material and methods: Laboratory test results and hospital discharge diagnoses were collected for relevant patients. An algorithm was developed to identify discharge diagnoses significantly associated with high or low results for specific tests. After excluding patients with such diagnoses, reference intervals were estimated, representing results distributions in patients with each of the specific chronic disorders, but without significant comorbidity. Results: Disease-associated reference intervals were estimated for 20 common laboratory tests. Most of the estimated reference limits were significantly different from corresponding health-associated reference limits. Thirty percent of the estimated reference intervals were different from estimates based on crude patient populations, indicating that the algorithm applied managed to exclude patients with relevant comorbidity. Conclusion: Disease-associated reference intervals could be estimated for a number of tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease using a highly automated algorithm based on routinely recorded patient data.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352551721000251Reference intervalsRheumatoid arthritisCrohn’s diseaseUlcerative colitis |
| spellingShingle | Gustav Mikkelsen Børge Lillebo Arild Faxvaag Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis Practical Laboratory Medicine Reference intervals Rheumatoid arthritis Crohn’s disease Ulcerative colitis |
| title | Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| title_full | Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| title_fullStr | Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| title_short | Disease-associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| title_sort | disease associated reference intervals for twenty laboratory tests in patients with rheumatoid arthritis crohn s disease or ulcerative colitis |
| topic | Reference intervals Rheumatoid arthritis Crohn’s disease Ulcerative colitis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352551721000251 |
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