Establishment of Reference Intervals for Serum Protein Electrophoresis of Apparently Healthy Adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Even though several factors affect reference intervals (RIs), company-derived values are currently in use in many laboratories worldwide. However, few or no data are available regarding serum proteins RIs, especially in resource-limited countries such as Ethiopia. Objective: To establish RIs for serum protein electrophoresis of apparently healthy adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 297 apparently healthy adults from April to October 2019 in four selected sub-cities (Akaki, Kirkos, Arada, and Yeka) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Laboratory analysis of collected samples was performed using the Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing analyzer, while statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and Med-Calc software. The Mann-Whitney test was used to check partitions. A non-parametric method of reference range establishment was performed as per CLSI guideline EP28A3C.