Establishment and clinical use of reference ranges

Abstract

A reference range describes the variations of a measurement or value in healthy individuals. It is a basis for a physician or other health professional to interpret a set of results for a particular patient. This article will primarily focus on the standard definition of a reference range (which is referred to if not otherwise specified). The standard reference range basically originates in what is most prevalent in a reference group taken from the population. However, there are also optimal health ranges that are those that appear to have the optimal health impact on people.