Data Sheet 4_Establishment of reference intervals for complete blood count in healthy adults at different altitudes on the Western Sichuan Plateau.pdf

BackgroundA detailed reference range for complete blood count of healthy adults in the Western Sichuan Plateau region is unavailable. This study aimed to explore changes in complete blood count (CBC) in healthy adults across high-altitude regions of Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, to establish altitude-specific reference intervals and improve diagnostic accuracy and provide tailored clinical guidance for residents in these areas.
MethodsCBC data from 3,485 healthy individuals from four altitudes—Guza (1,400 m), Lucheng (2,500 m), Luhuo (3,200 m), and Litang (4,100 m)—were collected between January 2022 and December 2023. The data were analyzed by sex, altitude, age groups, and their interactions to establish reference intervals.
ResultsCBC indicators showed significant changes with increasing altitude. Red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet (PLT) count all significantly increased as altitude rose (p < 0.05). Males had significantly higher RBC, WBC, and PLT counts than females across all altitudes (p < 0.05), except in Litang, where HCT and HGB differences between sexes were not significant (p < 0.05). With increasing age, RBC count, HCT, HGB, WBC count, and PLT count increased in both sexes. Most CBC indicators in the study population exceeded national reference intervals, except for HGB and HCT in males from Guza and Lucheng.
ConclusionThis study established CBC reference intervals for the high-altitude regions of Ganzi Prefecture, revealing significant variations by altitude, sex, and age. These findings provide valuable insights for improving disease diagnosis and medical care for high-altitude residents.

研究背景：目前川西高原地区健康成年人全血细胞计数（complete blood count, CBC）的详细参考区间尚未见报道。本研究旨在探究四川省甘孜州（Ganzi Prefecture）各高海拔区域健康成年人的全血细胞计数变化特征，以期建立海拔特异性的参考区间，提升临床诊断准确性，并为该地区居民提供个体化临床指导。
研究方法：本研究收集了2022年1月至2023年12月期间，来自四个海拔梯度（古扎（Guza）1400米、泸定（Lucheng）2500米、炉霍（Luhuo）3200米、理塘（Litang）4100米）的3485名健康个体的全血细胞计数数据。随后按性别、海拔、年龄组及其交互作用对数据进行分析，以建立对应的参考区间。
研究结果：全血细胞计数指标随海拔升高呈现显著变化。红细胞（RBC）计数、血红蛋白（HGB）、血细胞比容（HCT）、白细胞（WBC）计数及血小板（PLT）计数均随海拔上升显著升高（p<0.05）。除理塘（Litang）地区外，各海拔梯度下男性的红细胞、白细胞及血小板计数均显著高于女性（p<0.05）；理塘地区男女血细胞比容与血红蛋白水平差异无统计学意义（p<0.05）。随着年龄增长，两性的红细胞计数、血细胞比容、血红蛋白、白细胞计数及血小板计数均呈上升趋势。本研究人群中多数全血细胞计数指标超出全国参考区间，仅古扎与泸定地区男性的血红蛋白及血细胞比容水平除外。
研究结论：本研究建立了甘孜州高海拔地区全血细胞计数的参考区间，揭示了该指标随海拔、性别及年龄的显著差异。本研究结果为改善高海拔地区居民的疾病诊断与医疗服务提供了重要参考依据。