National reference intervals for biochemical and hematological tests in panamanian adults: findings from the ENSPA 2019 Survey

Introduction: Reference intervals (RIs) are indispensable tools for clinicians when interpreting laboratory reports. They are essential for diagnosing, clinical decision-making, and initiating treatments. Creating RIs is an expensive and time-consuming task, almost impossible to make for small laboratories. There are no published data related to RIs used in the screening and monitoring of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Panama, and therefore, laboratories in the region implement the RIs given by the manufacturer´s package insert of the reagent kit. Materials and methods: We collected data from samples taken from participants aged 18 years or older who participated in the National Health Survey of Panama (ENSPA, Spanish acronym), 2019. Exclusion criteria were applied to determine individuals free of prevalent diseases. National and sex-specific RIs were calculated following the EP28-A3C guidelines using non-parametric methods. Results: The first twelve RIs for analytes used in the screening and monitoring of NCDs in the adult Panamanian population are reported. Conclusion: The first Panamanian RIs used in the screening and monitoring of NCDs were established with the aim of improving public health policies. Further studies should be conducted to generate national RIs for other commonly used analytes in the monitoring of NCDs