Hematology Reference Intervals for Healthy Adults of the City of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

BACKGROUND: Hematology laboratory analyses are essential in the diagnosis of and making decisions on clinical cases. Hematology results are only meaningful when reference made to a normal range of values for a particular population. These values are affected by race, diet, and lifestyle the society. OBJECTIVE: To establish the hematological reference values for adult residents of the city of Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. METHODS: Blood samples collected from 1133 healthy males and female volunteers were analyzed for complete blood count, serum iron, and vitamin B12 concentrations. After applying the exclusion criteria, the hematology results from 762 individuals comprising 313 males and 449 males were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, and serum iron concentration were higher in males than females while the neutrophil and platelet counts and plateletcrit were higher in females than males. CONCLUSION: This study for the first time recorded hematological reference intervals for residents of the city of Sulaymaniyah.