Tsegaye, Aster(MSc, PhD)Alemu, Jemal(MSc, PhD candidate)Tadesse, Solomon2020-05-212023-11-062020-05-212023-11-062019-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/21271Background: About 70% of medical decisions made by physicians are based on the information presented by laboratory results. However, test results by themselves are valueless unless reported with the appropriate reference interval or medical decision limit. Currently, Ethiopia use reference intervals adopted from textbooks that refer mainly to Caucasian subjects. The country having heterogeneous population, there is a need to establish locally derived hematological reference interval that could be used in Asella town, Arsi zone, Ethiopia. Objective: To establish hematological reference intervals for apparently healthy adults in Asella town, southeast, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from January to March 2019 on apparently healthy individuals in Asella town aged from 18-60 years. Predesigned and structured questionnaire was used for collection of data on socio-demographic characteristics and dietary pattern of the reference population. Systematic random sampling technique was used. About 3ml of EDTA whole blood was collected and analyzed using Sysmex KX 21N automated hematology analyzer which analyses 60 tests per hour. The data was entered and analyzed by appropriate statistical software (Epi Info and SPSS) and interpreted using non-parametric methods, by which central 95% of the measured values was included in the intervals. Result: a total of 494 participants were recruited and 424 participants were involved in this study with the median age of 28 years. Except WBC (3.4 to 10.1 x10 9 /L) which showed no significant difference, other men and non-pregnant women reference intervals are: RBC (4.77 to 6.07 x10 /L; 4.18 to 5.29 x10 12 /L), HGB (14.7 to 18.1 gm/dL; 12.7 to 15.7gm/dL), HCT (42.1 to 51.3%; 37.1 to 44.4%) and PLT (159 to 336 x10 9 /L; 177 to 376 x10 9 /L), respectively. Pregnant women’s WBC, RBC, HGB and PLT are (4.9 to 13.2 x10 9 /L, 3.58 to 4.9 x10 12 /L, 11.0 to 14.6gm/dL and (138 to 368 x10 9 /L), respectively. Conclusion: most of the hematological RI of this study was significantly different from currently in use in Asella referral and teaching hospital laboratory. The difference was also observed in studies of other African countries as well as studies from different parts of Ethiopia. 12en-USHematological RI, Asella, men, non-pregnant women, pregnant women.Thesis