A study on the biological reference interval of urinary alpha 1-microglobulin in a group of Chinese people.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the possible influences of age and gender on urinary Alpha 1-Microglobulin (1-MG) concentrations and establish specific reference values of urinary 1-MG in a group of healthy adults. MethodsTwo hundred and ninety-nine adults (141 males and 158 females) aged 20-60 were selected and grouped by gender and age. Urinary levels of 1-MG were detected in morning spot-urine samples, and statistical analysis was performed to explore the association between urinary 1-MG and clinical parameters, and the differences between groups were compared. The 95th percentile of distribution was used as the normal upper limit. ResultsThe value of urinary 1-MG was sex-dependent (P<0.001), the 95th percentile of urinary 1-MG of males was 26.4mg/L, whereas females was 8.6mg/L. Whereas urinary 1-microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio (1-MG/Cr) was both gender-and age-dependent (both P<0.001), and age 30 may be the cut-off point in this study. The 95th percentile of males and females aged 20-30 was 16.9mg/g, of males aged 31-60 was 19.8mg/g, of females aged 31-60 was 28.5mg/g. DiscussionsThe relationship between urinary 1-MG concentrations and gender, age is different from previous studies. It is recommended that hospitals and laboratories should develop their own 1-MG reference intervals based on their experimental conditions.