Calculation of reference intervals for the concentrations of α-tocopherol and retinol in serum using indirect data-mining procedures

• Published in: Clinica chimica acta 2024-07, Vol.561, p.119822, Article 119822
• Main Authors: Rigo-Bonnin, Raúl, Aliart-Fernández, Irene, Escalante-Vilanova, Anna, Brunet, Mercè, Parra-Robert, Marina, Morales-Ruiz, Manuel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult population; Data-mining; Indirect approach; Reference interval; Vitamin A; Vitamin E
• ISSN: 0009-8981; 1873-3492; 1873-3492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119822

•Reference intervals for vitamin A and E were established using different indirect approaches.•Indirect approaches to establish reference intervals were Bhattacharya, Hoffmann, Kosmic, and RefineR.•Reference intervals obtained using the indirect approaches were comparable.•Reference intervals for vitamins A and E were suitable and adapted to our population’s demographic characteristics. Establishing adequate reference intervals (RIs) for vitamins A and E is essential for diagnosing and preventing deficiencies. Due to the current boom in data mining and its easy applicability, more laboratories are establishing RIs using indirect methods. Our study aims to obtain RIs using four indirect data-mining procedures (Bhattacharya, Hoffmann, Kosmic, and RefineR) for vitamins A and E. 8943 individuals were collected to establish the RIs. After using different data cleaning steps and checking whether these data should be divided according to age and gender based on multiple linear regression and variance component analyses, indirect RIs were calculated using specific Excel spreadsheets or R-packages software. A total of 2004 records were eligible. For vitamin A, the RIs obtained were (1.11 − 2.68) µmol/L, (1.13 − 2.70) µmol/L, (1.13 − 2.71) µmol/L, and (1.17 − 2.66) µmol/L using the Bhattacharya, Hoffmann, Kosmic and RefineR approaches, respectively. For vitamin E, these intervals were (17.3 − 49.9) µmol/L (Bhattacharya), (17.3 − 48.9) µmol/L (Hoffmann), (19.6 − 50.3) µmol/L (Kosmic), and (19.4 − 50.9) µmol/L (RefineR). In all cases, the RIs were comparable. Suitable RIs for vitamins A and E were calculated using four indirect methods that are suitable and adapted to our population’s demographic characteristics.