Definition of Reference Range for the Immature Granulocytes Parameter Provided by a Hematology Analyzer

Background Some pathologies or physiological changes may show forms of granulocytes in peripheral blood. Hematology analyzers have brought new parameters such as the detection of immature granulocytes (IG), which may be useful biomarkers. The objective of this study was determined the IG count in a control group to establish the reference range. Methods A group of healthy donors was used to obtain the reference value of IG in the laboratory of the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. Results The reference range of IG (n = 115) was 0 - 0.06 x 109/L and 0 - 0.63%. This reference interval was similar to that of previous studies. Conclusions The determination of the specific reference interval for each region is an important tool in the direct application of biomarkers in clinical laboratory routines. The use of reference values is essential so that the true positive cases for microscopic review are detected without a large number of false positives, which would impair laboratory efficiency.