Reference values of hematological indices of infants, children, and adolescents in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Lack of standard local reference values have been a problem facing hematological practice in Nigeria. Our aim was to establish reference hematological values from infancy to adolescence for future use in Nigeria. Methods: A total of 1,021 apparently healthy Nigerian children aged 0-17 years were recruited for this cross-sectional descriptive study from the University of Port Harcourt Teaching-Hospital, Port Harcourt, during preparatory exercises for immunization for Hepatitis B vaccine and from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology Day Care/Nursery, Primary, and International Demonstration Secondary School, Port Harcourt, during their standard medical examination prior to starting school. All hematological parameters were carried out using International Committee on Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) approved manual methods. Results: We report a reference range study conducted in Port Harcourt infants (aged 1 day to less than 1 year), children (1 to less than 5 years, 5 to less than 9 years, 9 to 14 years), and adolescents (14 to 17 years old), establishing reference intervals for hematological parameters. Several differences were observed when compared to previously established values from Caucasians, most notably in hemoglobin, packed cell volume, platelets, total white blood cell count, and neutrophil values. Conclusion: The values reported in this study can be used as local reference values for Port Harcourt infants, children, and adolescents.