Use of values for calcium and protein in serum, and of a derived index obtained from a probability population sample.

We measured serum protein and calcium concentrations in 2340 individuals between 10 and 96 years of age from 900 families chosen by probability methods to give a representative population. These values were used to calculate an index, based on a regression analysis of serum protein on calcium, which was then treated as a new variable. Age-sex specific reference values and frequency distributions are presented for this index as well as for protein and calcium calculated by both parametric and nonparametric methods.