Establishment of Reference Intervals for Serum Protein Electrophoresis of Apparently Healthy Adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Even though several factors affect reference intervals (RIs), company-derived values are currently in use in many laboratories worldwide. However, few or no data are available regarding serum proteins RIs, especially in resource-limited countries such as Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To establish RIs for serum protein electrophoresis of apparently healthy adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 297 apparently healthy adults from April to October 2019 in four selected sub-cities (Akaki, Kirkos, Arada, and Yeka) of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Laboratory analysis of collected samples was performed using the Capillarys 2 Flex Piercing analyzer, while statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 23 and Med-Calc software. The Mann–Whitney test was used to check partitions. A non-parametric method of reference range establishment was performed as per CLSI guideline EP28A3C. RESULTS: The established RIs were: albumin 53.83–64.59%, 52.24–63.55%; alpha-1 globulin 3.04–5.40%, 3.44–5.60%; alpha-2 globulin 8.0–12.67%, 8.44–12.87%; and beta-1 globulin 5.01–7.38%, 5.14–7.86%. Moreover, the albumin to globulin ratios were 1.16–1.8 and 1.09–1.74 for males and females, respectively. The combined RIs for beta-2 globulin and gamma globulin were 2.54–4.90% and 12.40–21.66%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The established reference interval for serum protein fractions revealed gender-specific differences, except for beta-2 globulin and gamma globulin.