Clinical Chemistry AACC Online Job Center
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 21: 1457-1464, 1975;
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an electronic Letter to
the Editor about this paper
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Harris, E. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Harris, E. K.

Clinical Chemistry, Vol 21, 1457-1464, Copyright © 1975 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Some Theory of Reference Values. I. Stratified (Categorized) Normal Ranges and a Method for Following an Individual's Clinical Laboratory Values

Eugene K. Harris 1

1 Laboratory of Applied Studies, Division of Computer Research and Technology, NIH, USPHS, Bethesda, Md. 20014.

The conventional population-based normal range has recently been shown to be a generally defective reference criterion for assessing individual laboratory test results. Applying a previously derived formula to published data, we find that the use of age-, sex-specific normal ranges may fail to produce a substantial improvement in sensitivity over nonspecific ranges, even when age-sex differences in mean values are statistically significant. This occurs when the difference in means is not accompanied by a sufficient reduction in the variation among individuals within a given class. Turning therefore to comparison of an individual's current measurement with his own previous value(s), I suggest a simple statistical model that leads to sequential testing of each new observation against an exponentially weighted moving average of previous results. Estimates of biological and analytical components of variance are required. The ability of this method to detect trends in very short series is explored with the aid of computer-simulated laboratory data. A sample of these data is also used to illustrate the application of these estimation and testing procedures by means of a graph.


Key Words: biochemical individuality • statistics • variation, source of • components of variance

Submitted on April 25, 1975
Accepted on June 12, 1975




The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:


Home page
 Am. J. Clin. Nutr.Home page
C. Gillespie, C. Ballew, B. A Bowman, R. Donehoo, and M. K Serdula
Intraindividual variation in serum retinol concentrations among participants in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, April 1, 2004; 79(4): 625 - 632.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Cell. ProteomicsHome page
N. L. Anderson and N. G. Anderson
The Human Plasma Proteome: History, Character, and Diagnostic Prospects
Mol. Cell. Proteomics, November 1, 2002; 1(11): 845 - 867.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1975 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.