Khelil Mohamed Mokhtar1. 1. Pasteur Institute of Algeria, Department of Immunology, Annex of M'sila, Algeria. Electronic address: kh.immuno@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To establish continuous reference intervals for TSH by data mining, using quantile regression with restricted cubic splines model. DESIGN AND METHOD: TSH results (n=13,333) were collected for a four years period (between March 2015 and February 2020). After an exclusion step, TSH results (n=8838) were used to derive continuous reference intervals (i.e. 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) spanning 18-90 years of age, using quantile regression with restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, then compared to age-partitioned reference intervals generated by Bhattacharya analysis. RESULTS: Despite similar reference intervals to the Bhattacharya analysis, continuous reference intervals appeared to give a more accurate and consistent estimation of the upper reference limits (i.e.97.5thpercentiles) with complex age-related variations in serum TSH concentrations. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that quantile regression with RCS model appears to be a very useful tool available for clinical laboratories to establish local continuous TSH reference intervals.
OBJECTIVE: To establish continuous reference intervals for TSH by data mining, using quantile regression with restricted cubic splines model. DESIGN AND METHOD:TSH results (n=13,333) were collected for a four years period (between March 2015 and February 2020). After an exclusion step, TSH results (n=8838) were used to derive continuous reference intervals (i.e. 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles) spanning 18-90 years of age, using quantile regression with restricted cubic splines (RCS) model, then compared to age-partitioned reference intervals generated by Bhattacharya analysis. RESULTS: Despite similar reference intervals to the Bhattacharya analysis, continuous reference intervals appeared to give a more accurate and consistent estimation of the upper reference limits (i.e.97.5thpercentiles) with complex age-related variations in serum TSH concentrations. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that quantile regression with RCS model appears to be a very useful tool available for clinical laboratories to establish local continuous TSH reference intervals.