Abstract
Background: Reference values of most assays in use in many chemical pathology laboratories in Nigeria are usually those of the manufacturer of diagnostic kit using non-indigenous reference populations. This is professionally unacceptable, so this study was aimed at determining a reference value for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) in adults living in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, using our indigenous population. Methods: A total of 332 non-diabetic subjects who met the inclusion criteria for this study were recruited after they had signed the consent forms. After an overnight fast, about 2 ml of blood was collected into the fluoride oxalate bottles and was assayed the same day using the glucose oxidase method. Each sample was measured in duplicate and an average was calculated. The data were statistically analysed using the SPSS version 20 and the significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The reference interval of FPG was calculated by the non-parametric method after data had been screened for outliers and ranked. This was done using the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile due to the skewed nature of the data, and the reference interval of FPG obtained was 3.1–5.8 mmol/l. Conclusion: The reference interval obtained from this study was different but close to that obtained in 2008 in Port Harcourt and more importantly different from those provided by manufacturers of the diagnostic kit (4.2–6.4 mmol/l). The use of this new reference interval is recommended to be necessary for better management of patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The need to use locally determined reference intervals is emphasised.
Published Version
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